Captured Azovstal defender's dog dies before he can be reunited with his owner

Rem had been waiting for his master, a Ukrainian soldier, to come home from Russian captivity. He would have greeted him by holding out his right paw, as he usually did. But he died still waiting.

Animal protection charity UAnimals has shared the story of the dog, who belonged to a soldier taken captive by the Russian Federation.

Rem joined the family when he was still a puppy, only one month old. He and Serhii spent a lot of time together, often going for walks in the forest.

UAnimals said Rem always knew when his owner was about to return home.

"Rem understood the command ‘hello’ and always held out the correct paw for a handshake – his right, just as Serhii had taught him. Rem loved to kiss all of us too," Halyna, the fighter's mother, recalled.

The start of Russia’s full-scale invasion made Serhii’s pet extremely anxious. Rem would be the first to notice the flames from explosions and the thick black smoke that would rise into the sky after strikes.

Serhii was in Poland at the time, but he returned to Kyiv as soon as he could. After a few weeks in the city, he joined his brothers-in-arms in besieged Mariupol.

On 20 May 2022, the Azovstal defenders obeyed orders and left the steelworks, only to be captured by the Russians.

Rem's health immediately began to decline, and his fur fell out. He didn't live long enough to see Serhii return from captivity.

"Rem has died and is no longer waiting for Serhii to come home," UAnimals said.

We previously reported on Kotusko, the cat who became a combat companion of the National Guard's military unit 3055. Kotusko now lives with a soldier with the nom de guerre Sova and his family.

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