Moldovan pigeons bring peace to Ukrainian refugees

STORY: Victor is a well-known pigeon breeder in the town of Palanca, Moldova - just an hour's drive from Odessa.

And now with a war raging at their doorstop, he and his wife not only raise these festooned birds - they also house refugees fleeing the violence over the border.

Victor said his regal birds offer a chance for some serenity amid the madness.

"We give psychological and moral support to our Ukrainian neighbors who face war. We have refugees and because we have all these birds, some of them are the peace symbol, we have the satisfaction of making them forget all the burdens from home from where they ran away. We welcome them in our courtyard with our pigeons who make them forget the awful memories from their home country."

One of his guests, Natalia, who fled from nearby of Odessa with her son, said her son could finally sleep properly after arriving at the guest house.

“We stopped at Galina and Victor’s house, where it is quiet and we can sleep in peace. And the birds and animals are beautiful and make you forget about all worries and my son can finally sleep soundly."

Odessa, normally an hour's drive from Palanca, is a picturesque Black Sea port that handles more than half of Ukraine's imports and exports, and is seen as a major strategic and symbolic target for Russian forces.

More than 3.3 million refugees have already fled Ukraine through its western border since Russia invaded the country on February 24.

VICTOR: "These are the pigeons I offer to our neighboring country as a symbol of peace. We hope that everything will be over, there will be peace everywhere and that we will never have such an experience like them."