80 animals were saved days before volunteer's death in drone strike

Canadian volunteer Jesse Adams, who founded the RainCoast Dog Rescue Society, was killed on October 25 when a Russian FPV drone struck his vehicle in Donetsk Oblast, the Animal Rescue Kharkiv community reported. Adams was evacuating animals at the time. The drone hit the windscreen, and he sustained severe injuries.

He was taken to a local hospital, where doctors performed resuscitation efforts and emergency surgery but were unable to save him.

Adams had been rescuing and rehoming animals through his society and, in Ukraine, helped move animals out of frontline settlements and assist residents. A few days before his death, he reported that volunteers had rescued 80 dogs and cats in Kramatorsk in a single day. He urged people not to forget those in need in Ukraine.

"It breaks my heart that we even have to do this type of work, but it is my privilege and honour to be a small part of helping these animals reach a better life for themselves and their families, or to be adopted into new families," Adams wrote.

Ukrainian volunteers who worked with him said his travels to Ukraine meant more than words can express, and credited him with saving hundreds of animals. The Animal Rescue Kharkiv community called him "a kind, compassionate and truly extraordinary person" and offered condolences to those who knew and loved him.

In July, animal rescue volunteer Olha Kuzmenko was killed in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, when a guided aerial bomb struck the city.