Influencer cat Stepan who escaped war in Ukraine selected for prestigious award

Stepan, a cat who gained fame on Instagram and recently escaped war-torn Ukraine, has been selected for most prestigious award in field of influencers. 13-year-old feline has been nominated for ‘World Influencers and Bloggers Awards 2022’. According to Nexta, all funds which will be obtained from this event will be donated to charity.  

In dition to this, earlier in month of March, Ukrainian cat h raised £7,000 (approximately Rs 6,92,679) for organisations and charities which provide help to animals caught up in war.  

According to Sky News, when Russian troops started shelling Ukraine's Kharkiv, last month, Stepan, who has amassed over 1.2 million followers on his Instagram handle - Loveyoustepan - was compelled to abandon his home with his owner. 

Stepan escapes war owner Anna

Anna, owner of Stepan, was quoted by media houses as saying that she woke to bombardments that rattled windows of her flat, alerting her to  fact that Russia-Ukraine war h arrived in ir neighbourhood on February 24. "Shells hit neighbouring houses every day, houses burned before our eyes,” she described situation in an Instagram post, Sky News reported.  

Anna along with Stepan was able to leave Kharkiv and proceed to Lviv after staying two nights in a cellar. Furr, as per Sky News, after spending nine hours in a waiting line with over 4,000 people, y were allowed to cross border into Poland. World Influencers and Bloggers Association n provided m assistance in travelling to France, where y would reside until day when y can return home. 

Since arriving in France, Stepan and Anna have raised almost $10,035 (approximately Rs 7,61,832) for five organisations through social media. It is worth noting that Happy Paw, UAnimals, Mykolaiv Zoo, XII Months, and Plyushka will receive funds generated to help animals harmed by conflict in Ukraine.  

Russia attacks church in Kharkiv

Since commencement of Russia-Ukraine war, Kharkiv - Ukraine's second-largest city - has been a major target for Kremlin's troops and remains devastated. 

On Friday, a big explosion was witnessed near a church in Kharkiv, caused by a Russian missile assault. In a brief video clip, which was probably shot by a cellphone camera, black smoke can be seen emanating after a loud bang. It is indeed not first time Russian President Vlimir Putin's soldiers have attacked churches in Ukraine. Russian military assaulted Patriarchate Church in Kharkiv earlier this month, killing several people. 

As per media reports, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously described assaults on churches as "tragic irony." 

(Image: @Loveyoustepan/Instagram/AP)