Ukrainian refugee in Dewsbury sets up fundraiser to bring her cat to UK

Forty year old Ievgeniia Dragomirova, from Mariupol, Ukraine, was forced to flee her home and leave everything behind due to the recent conflict - taking nothing with her but her 12 year-old cat Alyaska.
Ievgeniia Dragomirova has set up the fundraiser to raise money to bring her cat over to the UK from Germany.Ievgeniia Dragomirova has set up the fundraiser to raise money to bring her cat over to the UK from Germany.
Ievgeniia Dragomirova has set up the fundraiser to raise money to bring her cat over to the UK from Germany.

On March 19, Ievgeniia made the decision to leave Ukraine in a desperate attempt to save herself as well as her beloved cat..

The road to a safe place in Germany took Ievgeniia and Alyaska almost a month before she finally received her sponsor visa to travel to the UK. However, the pet service did not give the licence for Alyaska to travel.

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levgeniia made the difficult decision to move to the UK without Alyaska and to start the procedure of legalisation and communication with the pet service when she got to the UK on May 15 - leaving Alyaska in Germany.

Ievgeniia Dragomirova and Alyaska.Ievgeniia Dragomirova and Alyaska.
Ievgeniia Dragomirova and Alyaska.

This means that when levgeniia receives Alyaska’s licence, she is going to have to travel back to Germany to bring the cat back to the UK, which will cost her money she cannot afford.

In a bid to be reunited with Alyaska, she has set up a fundraising page to help with the costs.

levgeniia said: “It means a lot to me to receive the visa and permission to stay in UK for

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almost three years and work, be a part of society and live in peace.

Alyaska is currently living with a couple in Germany.Alyaska is currently living with a couple in Germany.
Alyaska is currently living with a couple in Germany.

“I set up the fundraising because I do not have many savings and have spent a lot of them on the journey from Ukraine to the UK.

“Now if I get the licence for Alyaska’s travel I have to immediately buy tickets and fly back to Germany and bring her to the UK within 10 days.

“I also have to fly with national companies such as British Airways or KLM - which cost a huge amount of money.

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“I can also only travel between 8am until 8pm because they are the only times that the pet service works at the airports.

“Otherwise, I have to spend the night in the airport with Alyaska waiting for the pet service - all these options increase the price of the plane tickets.

“Alyaska is currently staying with a really nice couple in Germany who agreed to keep her until I get the licence for her travel to UK.

“It has been really heartbreaking to part with her. She has always been with me and this is actually our second war together as in 2014 we had to run from Donetsk to Mariupol because of Russian aggression, also without goods and belongings - just one bag and my cat.

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“We started our life in a new city in a rented apartment and I worked hard to make our life happy in a new place. But eight years later Russian aggression again came to my house and destroyed everything and we had to run again, this time to another country.

“Alyaska is a really nice and healthy cat and I wish to take care of her.

“She is my friend, family, child, co-worker and my partner in crime - I love her with all my heart and soul.

“If we are reunited my mission will be completed and my life will be full of love and peace

“I hope I can say ‘you are at home, Asya’ very soon.”

To donate towards levgeniia’s fundraiser, visit

https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-back-my-cat-to-me?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_kprk+bring-back-my-cat-to-me