Documenting the Sterilisation Mission in Odesa and Mykolaiv

I’m Alex, a film director, and I’d like to share a short story about an important mission we had in 2023 — a five-day journey across southern Ukraine with the team from Blue Cross . Our goal was to film a documentary about the vital work being done to sterilise street animals in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.

It was a truly meaningful trip, and I want to give you a small glimpse behind the scenes of this compassionate and inspiring project.

We were joined by Gregg Tully and Liliana Pacheco , who represented Blue Cross — two incredible, kind-hearted people who have dedicated their lives to helping animals.  Their compassion and energy inspired everyone around them.

From the moment we arrived in the city of Odesa, the scale of the challenge was evident. Thousands of dogs and cats roam the urban streets and surrounding rural areas — many displaced, abandoned or born into a life of hardship. The war has only worsened the situation: families evacuate, pets are left behind, volunteers are stretched thin.   In Odesa, we witnessed the scale of the problem — thousands of abandoned dogs and cats struggling to survive, especially since the war began. The Blue Cross programme focuses on prevention: large-scale sterilisation to stop suffering at its roots.

Shooting the film wasn’t easy. Equipment had to be carried over rough terrain; language translation was constant; and sometimes the weight of the stories became heavy. But each scene reminded us of why we were there: compassion in action. Gregg and Liliana’s quiet leadership, their hands-on work and genuine respect for both animals and people, provided the backbone of our narrative. Small victories that together create real change. For me and my team, it was a true honour to work alongside Gregg and Liliana and to capture the impact of their mission.

Alex Melnikov, Odesa, Ukraine, 2023