The newspaper "Present Time" told about the Maine Coon cat, who was born in Odesa in 2016 and lived in the suburbs of Kyiv for the last two years. Max's story was told by his owner, Olena Honcharova.
Life under occupation
On the morning of February 24, 2022, when Russian aircraft were already bombing Ukrainian cities, Max went for a walk outside. The family lived near the Gostomel airport, which Russian war criminals attacked in the first hours of the full-scale invasion. The sounds of explosions were getting louder. Olena hugged her son, sat on the bed, but was in no hurry to leave.
Alena's husband already knew about the war first-hand. Mykhola is from Donetsk. He remembered 2014, when Russian aggression against Ukraine and the fighting in Donbas began.
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Olena was persuaded to leave Bucha by her husband. They decided that she and her child would go to Zhytomyr. They were packing in a hurry and couldn't find Max, who was walking in the yard. Mykhola planned to see his wife off and then return for their belongings and Max. However, he did not have time. Russian troops had already landed in Hostomel.
"Bucha was occupied, and Russian soldiers settled in our house," Olena recalls.
Bucha by her husband. They decided that she and her child would go to Zhytomyr. They were packing in a hurry and couldn't find Max, who was walking in the yard. Mykhola planned to see his wife off and then return for their belongings and Max. However, he did not have time. Russian troops had already landed in Hostomel.
Abduction and escape
On March 31, the Russian army hastily left Bucha, leaving behind mass graves and looted houses. Max the cat disappeared.
I cannot comment on the actions of people who, in principle, are not subject to the category of human beings," says Olena. "I don't know if they have something in their heads and if there is any logic behind their actions. Bucha was under occupation until the end of March. After the liberation, sappers came to our house. They found a tripwire with a grenade in the children's room. My parents came home. According to their stories, the whole house was smashed and mutilated.
Olena started looking for Max by posting ads on social media. A month later, she received a call on Viber from an unfamiliar Belarusian number. The woman introduced herself as Alena and said that she had the cat. At first, Olena did not believe what she heard, but she was sent a photo of the Maine Coon.
As it turned out, the Russian military had kidnapped the cat and taken it to Belarus in an armoured personnel carrier. Max managed to escape near Gomel, after which he found a local resident. The cat had a collar with a pendant. On the back of the medallion is a QR code with Olena's contacts. Thanks to this, they managed to find the cat's owner.
Reunion with his family
Belarusian volunteers helped to get Max a new veterinary passport and chip. The cat was handed over to Polish volunteers at the border, and they returned him to Alena. At the time, the woman was in the Czech Republic.
According to Olena, the cat's condition after the occupation and kidnapping was strikingly different from the usual. He lost a lot of weight and ate poorly. Max was doused with something sticky and had to be cut. But now he has fully recovered.
I'm grateful to everyone who helped bring Max back to the family," says Olena. "We still keep in touch with Olena. If it wasn't for her, I don't know if I would have been able to see him. However, we do not discuss politics during our conversations. This is an important issue."
The family now lives in Valencia, Spain. It took Max two weeks to adapt to life abroad. He has a great appetite.
He plays, walks, and makes mischief. We are doing well," says Olena, who dreams of returning to Ukraine as soon as possible.
She said that returning to Bucha is out of the question:
"We are planning to go to Odesa or Kyiv, but not to that house. We rented it for a buyout, but we have already cancelled the agreement.
As we wrote earlier: World's oldest dog found: this little guy has a complicated life story
