A Northern Irish couple living in war-torn Kyiv are working alongside volunteers to send stray dogs and cats to homes across Europe.

Geoffrey Dowey and his Ukrainian wife Tetiana filmed as they helped the team of volunteers at the Island Of Hope Sanctuary.

The team consists of volunteers from Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. They had been collecting animals since before the war and aim to be doing so after.

Mr Dowey told Newsflare: "These volunteers drove across Ukraine ignoring the danger to themselves to rescue animals and had a very limited time frame as a curfew had been announced to start that evening until Thursday."

Ukraine is in a war with Vladimir Putins Russian army. At the Central Railway Station in Kyiv Tanya and Geoffrey Dowey, a Northern Irish national married Tetiana 5 years ago in Kyiv.

Geoff & Tanya have decided to stay in Kyiv and help stray animals and pensioners.

They feed many stray cats and dogs around Kyiv and help to find forever homes.

They met with volunteers from Austria Germany, and Czech Republic at the Island Of Hope Sanctuary with other sanctuary owners to send animals to homes across Europe.

Martina from Vegan fighters

Volunteers Sasha and Yurge from Germany

Zoya Glavatska sent 4 cats, Antonina Savchuk sent 3 dogs+6 cats,
Lyubomira Burlachuk sent 12 cats

They had already collected animals before this and had more to collect afterwards.

These volunteers drove across Ukraine ignoring the danger to themselves to rescue animals and had a very limited time frame as a curfew had been announced to start that evening until Thursday.