Despite what declared by the Ukraine authorities and UEFA, the massacre of stray dogs still going on.
As a matter of fact, dogs continue to be killed at night and in the most brutal ways including: poisoning, electroshock guns or even thrown into concrete while still alive. These killers just shoot the dogs with narcotics, or they just inject them with narcotizes, as the dogs are friendly and not afraid by the human presence. Afterwards, dogs are thrown into mass graves alive and cemented alive.
This story comes to us directly from Kiev, where an Italian photographer, Andrea Cisternino, is reporting the killings and mass massacre with photos, videos and information which are directly posted to Facebook. We are also in contact with Alexandra Mexinova, an Ukrainian animal activist owner of a dog pound with 1.500 dogs and 500 cats.
Despite the issuing of the “Law against animal abuse and cruelty” in 2006, the Government started a brutal campaign against stray dogs in view of the EURO 2012 Championship, showing the population pictures of dogs attacking humans. As a result of this unprecedented hatred campaign, even animal activists are constantly subject to threats or abuse, as considered guilty for the only fact of nourishing and taking care of dogs.
The town houses three structures. For each of these 10,000 Euros have been financed, but there is no trace of these funds. Actually, funds for dog shelters and neutering campaigns are available.
Dogs are killed daily: Just on 27th November 9 dogs died and a whole pack of sterilized and non aggressive dogs being managed by voluntaries personally paying for their upkeep and sterilizations.
On 12 December, as we can see from photos by Andrea Cisternino, somebody killed three small dogs, one of which was sterilized a (red collar indicates that a dog is sterilized).
Andrea and Alexandra tell us that the Ukrainian situation about dogs has always been negative, but from 2010 number of killings has enormously increased because of the EURO 2012 Championship.
The deputy major of Kiev has recently said stray dogs killings will be prosecuted and in case of dead dogs, the police will be sent on the spot together with a veterinary who will perform autopsy in order to verify the poison used to kill it.
The Ministry of Environment has recently declared that killings will be stop for length of six months; en fact this term exactly coincides with the start with the games starts. What will happen once the public attention on this famous event subsides? We highlight that despite the country’s institutions declarations, the situation is still dreadful, we can only imagine the proportions that this mass massacre will assume.

Elisa Norelli
OIPA International Campaigns Director