NOT WITHOUT MY DOGS

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Kobus Olivier knew he had to flee - but he wasn't going anywhere without his faithful companions. The gutsy South African tells the story of how he and his four canines drove for four weeks to get to safety

- JANA MARX

IT’S a date he’ll never forget: 27 February 2022. The day missiles started falling from the sky and the sound of air­-raid sirens wailed through the streets of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. 

Kobus Olivier had been preparing for this moment for weeks, spooked by growing speculation that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was going to in­vade Ukraine. 

He’d withdrawn his money from the bank, converted it to US dollars and started stockpiling food and water for himself and his four dogs. But nothing could prepare him for the terror he felt when the bombing finally started. 

The explosions were 15km away, but so loud they felt like they were right outside his apartment building in the capital. 

“Lord, if they hit us let all five of us go, please. No one should stay behind maimed or alone,” he prayed as he lay on the bathroom floor, his dogs pressed to him. 

Nine­year­old Tiekie and her pups, Jessie, Kaya and Ollie, were all Kobus had left in the world after his dad, Kobus Sr, passed away. And mercifully they were spared that day and able to make their way to Croatia. 

But it was quite a ride – and it’s this in­ credible story that’s now the subject of a documentary, War Dogs and I. 

Stefan Enslin, who directed and pro­duced the doccie, used footage Kobus shot on his cellphone and the result is as heartbreaking as it is harrowing. 

Kobus filmed himself and his dogs huddling on the bathroom floor as the early morning sky lit up with flames. “Don’t worry, doggos,” he says, tears streaming down his face.