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 the most prestigious award in the field of influencers. The 13-year-old feline has been nominated for the ‘World Influencers and Bloggers Awards 2022’. According to Nexta, all the funds which will be obtained from this event will be donated to charity.  

In addition to this, earlier in the month of March, the Ukrainian cat had raised £7,000 (approximately Rs 6,92,679) for organisations and charities which provide help to animals caught up in the 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, the owner of Stepan, was quoted by media houses as saying that she woke to bombardments that rattled the windows of her flat, alerting her to the fact that the Russia-Ukraine war had arrived in their neighbourhood on February 24. "Shells hit the neighbouring houses every day, the houses burned before our eyes,” she described the 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. Further, as per Sky News, after spending nine hours in a waiting line with over 4,000 people, they were allowed to cross the border into Poland. The World Influencers and Bloggers Association then provided them assistance in travelling to France, where they would reside until the day when they 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 the funds generated to help animals harmed by the conflict in Ukraine.  

Russia attacks church in Kharkiv

Since the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine war, Kharkiv - Ukraine's second-largest city - has been a major target for the 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 the first time Russian President Vladimir Putin's soldiers have attacked churches in Ukraine. Russian military assaulted the Patriarchate Church in Kharkiv earlier this month, killing several people. 

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

(Image: @Loveyoustepan/Instagram/AP)