Ukraine Man Reunites with His Dog After Getting Separated from Pet During Russia's Invasion

Nessie the dog got separated from her family during Russia's attacks on the Ukraine city of Bucha

A Ukraine dog owner is back with his beloved pooch after a difficult period of separation.

According to Storyful, a man and his black and white dog named Nessie got separated during Russia's attacks on the Ukraine city of Bucha.

After Nessie lost her family, volunteer members of the Kastus Kalinouski Battalion — a unit of Belarusians fighting with Ukraine — found the pet wandering around the damaged city alone, Storyful reported.

The volunteers initially thought the dog was a stray and decided to save the canine, posting about the pooch on social media. The Kastus Kalinouski Battalion later learned the dog had a family and located the owners.

After finding Nessie's pet parents, the battalion arranged a reunion between Nessie and her owner. Footage from the sweet moment, which occurred at a parking lot in Kyiv, shows Nessie running into her owner's arms. The man and dog eagerly exchange snuggles in the clip and then take a selfie together.

"As long as some treat people like animals, we are fighting for the lives of not only humans but every animal," the Kastus Kalinouski Battalion shared in a statement to Storyful about rescuing Nessie and reuniting her with her owner.

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.

Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. Millions of Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.

"You don't know where to go, where to run, who you have to call. This is just panic," Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE of the moment her city was bombed — one of numerous accounts of bombardment by the Russians.

The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.

With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.

Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend."Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.