A Ukrainian woman who came to the aid of Australian animals when the country was hit by bushfires in 2020 is now the one in need of assistance. 

Julya Ivanenko has had to flee her home in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which has been the focus of recent fighting, and is now living with her parents-in-law in the Poltava region of central Ukraine.

In early 2020, after seeing news of the bushfires, she made pouches, blankets and bedding for native animals hit by the blazes that burnt millions of hectares of habitat. 

"Immediately, I decided to help," Ms Ivanenko told the ABC in an email translated by the SLAVA Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Adelaide.

"I had everything I needed for this — fabrics, a sewing machine, and a great desire to help.

"I wrote about my support for the animals on my Facebook page. Journalists from several Ukrainian TV channels contacted me and filmed stories about it.

"I have made over 100 pouches, blankets and bedding for animals and shipped them to Australia. I was very glad when this nightmare — the bushfires — ended!"

Ms Ivanenko took up felting eight years ago and five years ago quit her job to make the craft her main occupation.

She would travel around Ukraine selling her wares and running workshops in the technique of making fluffy items with wool.

Within two weeks of the war, she had fled Kharkiv and her home was bombed.

Three months later, she started running free felting workshops for displaced women like her.

"They learnt new skills and now they are already working, making felted slippers to order," she said.

"Now I live in the village in Poltava region, I conduct creative classes for children. It helps them and me to distract ourselves from the sad thoughts."

She wants to buy a house in Poltava — but prices have risen sharply since the start of the war in February — or else she will have to return to Kharkiv, where there are still regular air strikes.

"I would really appreciate if people would be interested to buy my felted from pure wool slippers. It would help our family greatly," she said.

Aliona King, who is the president of the SLAVA Ukrainian Cultural Centre, said a woman who was a member of her organisation also enjoyed felting and had got in touch with Ms Ivanenko online.

"I thought it would be wonderful if more people knew and could support her," Ms King said.

"It touched me so much that someone so far from Australia did so much for Australian animals.

"It would be good if Australians can help Julya and people like her because people are suffering immensely from the war.

"Their homes are bombed every day — they go buy food and a missile can strike any time."

She said Ukrainians were known as generous people, but they now needed help themselves.

"This is an example — Julya gave on her own accord — it just shows the nature of Ukrainian people."

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