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Dogs and War: What I saw in Ukraine
“A Japanese filmaker's three-year journey in Ukraine, portraying the lives of animals and humans in war. "Through dogs' eyes, the truth of war/"”
10.0 / 10• 2025• 1h 49m•NR• Japanese
Documentary
Storyline
When Russia invaded in February 2022. Japanese director Akane Yamada travelled to the war zone to document an often-overlooked story - the fate of animals and the people who refuse to abandon them. Known for her work in disaster zones since Fukushima, Yamada witnessed animal welfare groups mobilising at the Polish border to help refugees and their pets, and followed Ukrainians who continued to adopt shelter animals amid the chaos. In Borodianka, near Kyiv, she uncovered the tragic deaths of shelter dogs left behind during occupation. Her three-year investigation led her deep into Ukraine's frontline regions, from flooded Kherson after the Kahkovka Dam's destruction to a children's hospital in Kyiv struck by a missile. Through the stories of people who refuse to abandon animals even amid the devastation of war, this documentary portrays the resilience and dignity of those who refuse to surrender to violence.
Cast & Crew
AY
Akane Yamada
Them self
Lead
Masahiro Higashide
Narrator
VK
Viktor Kopach
Animal-id.net Representative
PM
Przemysław Malik
Centaurus Foundation Shelter Manager, Poland
OK
Olena Kolesnykova
Representatives of Animal Protection Group "Hvostata Banda", Ukraine
AO
Anastasiia Onikova
Representatives of Animal Protection Group "Hvostata Banda", Ukraine
IS
Ira Samoilenko
Member of Animal Protection Group "Hvostata Banda", Ukraine
Ro
Representative of BREAKING THE CHAINS, UK
Tom Tommies
What People Are Saying
5.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Akane Yamada's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
5.0
“Every frame feels alive. Dogs and War: What I saw in Ukraine is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
