Russian strike kills 13,000 pigs in Ukraine

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, a rescue worker puts out a fire of a pig farm damaged by a Russian strike in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

A Russian drone attack sparked a fire on a farm in Ukraine’s northeast overnight, killing some 13,000 pigs, emergency services said on Friday.

Animals have suffered along with people throughout the three-and-a-half-year war. Previous Russian strikes have hit stables and zoos.

“About 13,000 pigs died as a result of a Russian UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) attack on a farming enterprise in the Novovodolazka community,” in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s state emergency service said, adding that a worker of the farm was injured.

Photos released by the service showed pig carcasses piled up in cramped sheds that were partly burned-down, some with their roofs shattered.

The pigs were held in eight stalls spanning just over 13,000 square metres (140,000 square feet), all of which burned down in the fire, the emergency service added.

In September, seven horses were killed in the Kyiv region during a large-scale Russian attack which hit an equestrian club.

Zoos across Ukraine have been damaged throughout the war, with one attack killing a ram in Odesa zoo in June.