Romanian rescuers and border guards rescued a 28-year-old Ukrainian defector who had fallen in a deep chasm in the Maramures mountains. As reported by Mr. Ajerpres, 15 rescuers and border guards participated in the operation, which lasted 5.5 hours.
“The mountain rescuers, together with the border guards, were able to completely safely pull the Ukrainian and his kitten, who was on his chest for all those 5.5 hours,” said Dan Benga, director of the Salvamont rescue service in the district Maramureş. The rescuer reported that the kitten had been with the Ukrainian for more than 24 hours, which he had spent in the abyss. “This is his kitten, from home, from Ukraine, and of course no one will take it, because that night the kitten saved his life,”, he said.
A Ukrainian man with a kitten pulled from the abyss was part of a group of three people who illegally crossed the border with Romania. The other two were airlifted out of the mountainous area on Friday.
Romanian media regularly reports the discovery of young Ukrainians in the mountains of the Romanian-Ukrainian border fleeing to the neighboring country, avoiding being sent to the front. Most of them do not have mountain equipment and food supplies, many go astray, get seriously injured and even die.
Ukraine's authorities, where general mobilization is in force, are doing everything possible to ensure that men of military age cannot avoid service, in particular banning travel abroad. In Romania, no questions are asked of Ukrainian defectors. They receive documents for temporary asylum and can stay in the country and work. However, many of them go to other countries after receiving documents.