WATCH: Ukrainians Rescue Puppy Trapped Under Debris After Russian Shelling Of Donbas

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Rescuers pulled out a puppy from the rubble of a destroyed building in the village of Mykhailivka
A purported video of the rescue was shared online by an advisor to Ukraine's internal affairs minister
The dog was returned to its owner, a 77-year-old man who survived the Russian shelling

Authorities in Ukraine were able to locate and rescue a puppy that got trapped underneath a destroyed building, according to reports.

Rescuers with the regional police in Ukraine's Donetsk area pulled out the dog from the rubble of a shelled building in the village of Mykhailivka, The Guardian reported.

Donetsk is part of the country's eastern Donbas region, which is partially controlled by Russian-backed separatists.

"There is someone down there, dig, dig, dig!" one rescuer said in a purported video of the rescue, shared by Anton Gerashchenko, advisor to Ukraine's internal affairs minister, as per Business Insider.

"Pull him out of there, but be careful!" a rescuer said after they found the puppy.

A village on Donbas was shelled by Russia and a puppy was under the debris. Rescuers were able to save him and give him back to the owner (who himself narrowly escaped death from shelling). Rescue services work 24/7 doing the hardest work and saving lives.#UkraineUnderAttaсk pic.twitter.com/skbX6I4MDg
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) April 13, 2022

The animal was later reunited with its owner, a 77-year-old man who survived the Russian shelling.

"Thank you guys, for doing your work so quickly and efficiently. I give you a big thank you for this," the owner said in the video shared by Gerashchenko.

News of the rescue came amid several reports claiming hundreds of animals have died in Ukraine due to Russia's invasion.

Nearly a hundred zoo animals sheltered in Feldman Ecopark in the besieged northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv have reportedly been "murdered" due to Russian shelling.

Among those killed were a "large number of big cats and primates" as well as deer, bison, goats and "countless numbers of birds," among other animals, a spokesman for the zoo said.

Three members of the zoo staff were also allegedly killed by the Russian shelling.

Meanwhile, more than 300 dogs were found dead in a Ukrainian shelter located in a previously Russian-occupied area.

All but 150 of UAnimal's 485 dogs were left alive upon the return of the charity's staff to their shelter in Borodyanka.

The animals remained locked in their cages from the beginning of Russia's invasion, which started on Feb. 24, until Russian forces retreated from the settlement earlier this month. All 485 dogs were left without any food or water during that time frame.

Ukraine was home to around 750,000 dogs and 5.5 million cats as of 2014, the year Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Many of those animals got left behind by their owners following Russia's invasion of the country.