Stepan the TikTok-famous cat, who lived in Ukraine, was recently revealed to have escaped to safety in France with his owner.
If you’ve ever seen a video of a black and brown striped cat looking like a world-weary man drinking his sorrows away at a bar while an 80s pop song plays, it was probably a video of Stepan.
A 13-year-old rescue cat, Stepan has amassed 1.1 million fans on both TikTok and Instagram thanks to oddly amusing clips of him leaning against a bar countertop with a nonchalant, almost worn-out expression and a cocktail.
Stepan’s loyal fans are always eager for updates, so they were worried when his social media went quiet after 3 Mar.
Putin announced a ‘military operation’ in Ukraine on 24 Feb, and the war continues to brew, which means Stepan and his owner Anna were likely caught in the throes of the conflict.
However, Anna finally took to Instagram to update that she and her beloved fur baby had safely escaped to France.
Since the post went up on 16 Mar, it has garnered close to 500k likes with 16.5k comments and counting.
According to Anna’s post, they were asleep at home on 24 Feb when a string of explosions went off at 5am.
Their home is located in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and approximately only 40km from the Russian border.
It was one of the cities to become a prime target for bombings.
On the first day of the war were the most severe destructions. Shells hit the neighbouring houses every day; the houses burned before our eyes.
Despite the proximity of the explosions, Anna’s home remained safe for a week.
However, things escalated on the 8th day when her home was damaged. Two shells would also later fall into her front yard.
Stepan and his family were forced to hide in their basement for 2 nights and had no electricity for a week.
Stepan and his family were left with no choice but to leave their home behind.
With help from volunteers in Kharkiv, they made it to the railway station, where they boarded a train to the city of Lviv, which borders Poland.
20 hours later, Stepan and his family finally arrived in Lviv. They waited in line for another 9 hours before finally entering Poland on foot.
Once Stepan and his family arrived, they were met by members of The World Influencers and Bloggers Association.
Established in 2019, the global organisation aims to unite influencers worldwide.
According to The Washington Post, the organisation helped Stepan and his family navigate Poland and escorted them to a safe house in France.
As of today, the TikTok-famous cat and his family have settled into a rented apartment, where they are free to stay for as long as they need to.
In 2021, Stepan earned a spot in The World Influencers and Bloggers Association’s list of top petfluencers.
Fast forward to today, Stepan’s plight caught the attention of Mariia Grazhina Chaplin, who founded the organisation.
A spokeswoman for the association said they “were in touch with (Stepan and family)” throughout the process and are now “personally taking care of them in France”.
With Stepan and his family now safe and sound, his followers quickly expressed their love and support.
Despite their safety, Anna wrote that she worries for relatives who are still in Ukraine and that she would do what she can to help her country.
While we are glad Stepan and his family have a safe refuge, the fact remains that millions of Ukrainians have been forced out of their homes.
No matter the outcome of the war, there will not be any true winners as many have lost homes, livelihoods, and lives already.
That said, difficult times like these also spotlight the remarkable kindness of people and inspire us to hope for better days ahead.
Wishing you all the best, Stepan!
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Featured image adapted from @loveyoustepan on Instagram and Instagram.
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