The feline kept warm the 28-year-old fugitive from conscription who got lost in Romanian mountains.

A 28-year-old Ukrainian man fleeing conscription in his war-torn homeland was rescued earlier in December alongside his kitten, Persik or Peach in English, after surviving a harrowing ordeal in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Vladislav Duda, whom rescuers found hypothermic and on the brink of frostbite, had plunged into a 400-meter deep ravine in the freezing wilderness of the Maramures County, the local rescue service Salvamont Maramures told the media.

More than a dozen rescuers braved a fierce blizzard to save Duda, who had left Ukraine to avoid being drafted into the armed forces fighting against Russia. When the rescue team reached him, they discovered his auburn-colored kitten nestled inside his jacket, offering warmth and comfort during their days-long ordeal.

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The cat was warming him and essentially saved his life, explained Salvamont Maramures director Dan Benga, who expressed sympathy to the survivor for caring about the months-old feline.

“He held the kitten to his chest the entire time,” Benga recalled. “When we got him into the ambulance, he simply said, ‘Please take care of my cat.’”

Vladislav Duda and kitten Persik being rescued by Romanian mountain services. Credit: Salvamont Maramures 

Though Duda had run out of food four days earlier, melted snow sustained both him and Peach. Weak and malnourished, the kitten clung to life alongside his owner. The two were taken to Baia Mare, capital of Maramures County, where the man was treated for hypothermia and circulation issues while Peach received veterinary care and food.

The journey through the Carpathian Mountains, which straddle northern Romania and southwestern Ukraine, has become a common route for Ukrainian men fleeing conscription. According to Benga, more than 160 men have been rescued in the Maramures region since the start of the war in February 2022, with numbers doubling each year. Tragically, 16 have been found dead.

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Duda’s case highlights the desperate measures taken by those avoiding Ukraine’s expanding draft, which now includes men as young as 25. Desertion and conscription challenges have compounded the strain on Ukraine’s military at a critical point in the war.

The fugitive faces a fine for illegal border crossing and will most likely be deported to Ukraine, where he might be drafted for the military service after all.

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