Indian doctor refuses to leave Ukraine without his pet panther and jaguar

A Hyderabad-based orthopaedic surgeon in Ukraine has refused to leave his pets and return to India.

Russia-Ukraine war:

Russia has been attacking Ukraine for more than two weeks. The world economy has been hit hard due to this war. The United States and some European countries have since then imposed sanctions on Russia, yet the country has not stopped attacking Ukraine. Countries such as Iran, Pakistan and China are in support of Russia.

War damage:

With each passing day, the intensity of the war increases. Russia is rapidly infiltrating and capturing several major cities in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has said that thousands of innocent civilians have been killed in bombings. Although the two countries have held a few rounds of talk, Russia has not given up on war.

Ukraine people at war:

The people of Ukraine are also fighting on the field to defend their country against the Russian invasion. Recently, it was reported that even a student from Tamil Nadu who is pursuing his higher studies in Ukraine has joined the armed forces to fight against the Russians.  

Government action to rescue Indians:

About 20,000 Indians are reported to be in Ukraine, of which most of them are students who are there to pursue their education including medicine. They are being rescued by the Indian government through Ukraine's neighbours Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Moldova. A 40-year-old Indian doctor, Dr.Girikumar Patil, has refused to return to the country.

The reason the doctor says:

Girikumar, who studied medicine in Ukraine, has been working as a doctor there since 2014. Now living near Donbas in south-eastern Ukraine, he has a black panther and a jaguar which he adopted from a zoo. Now that the Indians are returning home due to the ongoing war, he has said, "I will never abandon my pets to save my life. Of course, my family is urging me to return. My pets are my children. I'll stay with them and protect them until my last breath." He also says that he gets the food for the big cats from a nearby village but both have been unable to eat or sleep properly due to the bombings.