“If my dog can’t do it, neither can I,” said an Indian student who refused to leave war-torn Ukraine without his pet dog.
As soon as Russia launched an attack on Ukraine, many countries began evacuating their citizens. India is no exception, and an engineering student is determined that he would not leave the country since it began the operation to safeguard its citizens. He has a specific request.
Rishabh Kaushik is a third-year software engineering student at Ukraine’s Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics. He said that he had worked hard to obtain the required approvals for his pets in order for them to accompany him to India.
He said that no matter what he tried, he couldn’t receive clearance. So he made the decision that if his dog couldn’t go, neither could he. He went on to say that remaining there posed a risk, but that he couldn’t forsake him. Who would care after him if he was gone, he said.
Maliboo was adopted by Rishabh Kaushik, a 21-year-old local resident who saved the puppy from the streets. He claimed to be in Kharkiv, but thankfully, he and Maliboo chose to depart for Kyiv barely a day before the Russian invasion.
He also made a video in which he claims he contacted the government’s Animal Quarantine and Certification Service (AQCS) in Delhi, India, as well as the Indian consulate in Ukraine, but received no answer.
He is now in a Kyiv bunker. He said that if the Indian government had given him the needed NOC (no objection certificate) as per the regulations, he would have been in India.
Love is defined as such a commitment to the pet, especially in the face of adversity. We applaud Rishabh’s decision to remain at home with his pet. We wish he will arrive in India with his pet as soon as possible. We pray for their safety and the return of peace in Ukraine.
