Hundreds of bats rescued from war-torn areas in eastern Ukraine were released into the wild near Kyiv on Saturday evening, as part of events organised across the country to mark the arrival of spring. The release, held at a nature park on the outskirts of the capital, drew a crowd of over 1,000 spectators, including families, off-duty soldiers, and bat enthusiasts.
Volunteers from the Ukrainian Bat Rehabilitation Center carefully opened cloth bags, allowing the bats to take flight into the twilight. Children, many wearing bat-themed T-shirts and hats, watched as the animals were fed mealworms before being released. Some attendees were permitted to wear gloves and handle the bats themselves.
Anastasiia Vovk, a volunteer at the centre, said preserving the bats is crucial because all 28 bat species in Ukraine are protected due to declining populations. “These are on a red list of endangered animals,” she explained. The charity has rescued more than 30,000 bats in total, including 4,000 last winter.
For many attendees, the event offered a welcome respite after a harsh winter marked by subzero temperatures, nightly Russian drone and missile attacks, and crippling power cuts. “Life goes on despite the war,” said Oleksii Beliaiev, a 54-year-old Kyiv resident who attended with his family. “The war is the main thing right now, but there has to be something else as well.”
Experts note that the war has displaced animals as well as people. Buildings destroyed by shelling damage bats’ natural shelters, and explosions terrify the tiny mammals. Alona Shulenko, who headed Saturday’s release, warned that disturbances during hibernation can be fatal. “As natural hibernation sites disappear, bats move into cities, into cracks in buildings and balconies. But repairs or destruction of these places can kill entire colonies,” she said.
Shulenko emphasised the importance of their work amid the ongoing conflict. “We are all living in wartime, and everyone has their own struggles,” she said. “But we are doing what we know best. … If we stop what we are doing, thousands of bats will die.”
