Brave volunteers risk their lives to rescue more than 550 pets in Ukraine

Volunteers have been risking their lives and making dangerous journeys into war-torn Ukraine - to rescue more than 550 pets and bring them to safety.

Animal Rescue Ukraine, founded at the beginning of March, is made up of Patrick Westrup, an ex-royal guard based in Poland, and Joel Brejner, 39, who manages logistics from Denmark.

Patrick, who is based in a camp near the town of Medyka, travels into Ukraine several times a week to rescue cats and dogs and brings them back to Poland.

The 31-year-old drives trucks into Ukraine with hundreds of kilos of animal food and comes back to Poland with animals and people. 

Animal Rescue Ukraine sources pets from shelters across the country, either via tip off from the community of volunteers in the camp, or by being contacted directly via social media or telephone.

The animals are kept there for five to 10 days where they are put through medical examinations before being sent off to a farm in western Poland where they are looked after and await adoption. 

In the future, Animal Rescue Ukraine hopes to set up a website through which the animals can be connected with either their previous or new owners.