Puppy rescued from Ukraine war resettled in York

Charlie was found on the outskirts of Bakhmut in November last year

A photographer who adopted a puppy rescued from a war-torn area of Ukraine said it is "settling in nicely" after being given a new home in the UK.

Edward Matthews, 25, from York, took in the dog, now called Charlie, after it was saved from the outskirts of Bakhmut when it was just two weeks old.

He said he knew the moment he met the puppy in Kyiv "he would be coming home with me".

He said he felt "very privileged to look after such a beautiful dog".

Mr Matthews said he knew Charlie would be coming home with him as soon as they met

Mr Matthews had been working in Ukraine supporting humanitarian efforts and as a documentary photographer.

He said Charlie was found by a close friend of his on a dirt track near Bakhmut in November last year.

"As they scooped him up, they came under fire," he said.

Charlie was nursed back to health in a military safe house near Bakhmut.

Charlie has become something of a celebrity in York, Mr Matthews said

Charlie, who Mr Matthews described as "super-chilled", arrived at his new home in York earlier this month.

He said it was amazing to see him doing so well, considering what he had been through in his first few weeks of life.

"He is settling in nicely, but gets bored really quickly and wanders off," he said.

As well as using his photography skills to support charities in Ukraine, Mr Matthews is working with the Ukrainian community in York, and said he was looking at the possibility of Charlie becoming a therapy dog.

He said Charlie, who has his own Instagram page, was becoming something of a celebrity in the city.

Mr Matthews' work has featured in an exhibition in York

Mr Matthews, who previously worked as a nightclub photographer, said he wanted to continue his work in Ukraine and had set up an artzine and Go Fund Me page to support his efforts.

The photographer has also exhibited his work in York, but said it was difficult to engage with people in the UK "at the moment because we have a lot of problems ourselves".

However, he said it was important to remember a lot of the issues, such as soaring gas prices, had been caused directly or indirectly by the war in Ukraine.

"We need to remember the root cause of this and continue to support Ukrainian people because once this war is over things will improve," he added.