On 27 December 2025 The Kyiv Independent published "This place in Ukraine keeps birds safe from the war", a feature about our centre in the village of Kozhychi near Lviv. We are grateful to the journalists for their attention to our work, and glad that readers around the world can now learn about birds affected by the war.The article says we currently care for about 470 birds of 63 species. Some were found injured in the wild, others were entrusted to us by their owners because of the war. The centre is a family effort: Viktor and his wife Yuliia, with help from Viktor’s parents.The journalists also mentioned that at the start of the full-scale invasion our centre became a temporary home for people fleeing the fighting, who brought their birds, dogs and cats with them.Many of our guests are veterans, including people who use wheelchairs or prosthetics. It was for them that we laid a concrete path through the garden last summer, so they can get around easily when they visit. Students, veterinarians, artists and families with children visit us too.The article also touched on our everyday costs: the parrots alone eat about 300 kilograms of feed a month, which comes to roughly 50,000 hryvnias. Ukrainian and foreign volunteers, including UAnimals, donate food to us. Thank you to everyone who supports Free Wings.Source: The Kyiv Independent, «This place in Ukraine keeps birds safe from the war».
