Before the war, Ukraine was home to approximately 750,000 dogs and over five million cats. We don't know how many survived, how many perished in the bombings, and how many still wander the ruins, quietly calling out to owners who will never return.
At a shelter with the telling name Last Spark of Hope, Liudka cares for dogs rescued from the front lines. She feeds them, bathes them, and – for a considerable fee – finds them new homes. But behind closed doors, this place doesn't resemble a safe haven for traumatized animals. With each passing day, the line between what can still be called care and what already constitutes abuse shifts.
"All animals look like people, and people look like animals – this is how Volkonsky's play begins. Here, real events mingle with fiction, reality dissolves into a nightmare, and the division between what is "human" and "animal" blurs. In "Dogs and Men," we examine war, but not from the perspective of the front lines, heroism, or national narratives. We look through the eyes of the most defenseless victims of the conflict, whose fate rests in the hands of others.
What does normalcy actually mean? And can it be returned to when everyday life is interrupted by the roar and wail of sirens? Are there limits to humanity? And if so, where do they lie?
Graphic design: Vlad Boyko
