Volunteer Jesse Adams Killed in Russian FPV Drone Attack on October 25, 2026

Canadian volunteer Jesse Adams was killed in a Russian FPV drone attack. He rescued and rehomed animals from Ukraine’s frontline areas.

On October 25, russian forces attacked an evacuation vehicle belonging to the Animal Rescue Kharkiv team in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast. The team had just placed the rescued animals inside when the vehicle was targeted by a russian FPV drone. The drone struck the windshield.

Jesse was inside the vehicle and sustained severe injuries. He was immediately taken to hospital, where medical staff performed resuscitation and emergency surgery. Despite their efforts, his life could not be saved.

Jesse founded the Canadian organization RainCoast Dog Rescue Society. He travelled to Ukraine to join Ukrainian volunteers in rescuing animals from russian attacks and supporting local residents. Thanks to his efforts, hundreds of animals were rescued.

The EAST SOS Charity Foundation extends its sincere condolences to Jesse’s family, friends, and colleagues. We share their grief over the loss and are grateful for every life he saved.

russia continues to attack those who work every day to help people and animals escape the war. Attacks on humanitarian and evacuation missions kill volunteers, put people in need of assistance at risk, and make rescue operations in frontline areas increasingly difficult.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 10 humanitarian workers were killed while performing their duties in 2026, and at least 39 others sustained injuries.

Today, October 28, a Russian FPV drone also struck the White Angel police evacuation team in Kharkiv Oblast, injuring two police officers. This was the second attack on the unit’s evacuation crews since the beginning of October. Earlier this month, Russian forces also targeted evacuation crews from the Angels of Salvation Charity Foundation, the Wings of Donbas Charity Foundation, volunteer Vladyslav Samusenko, the Coordination Humanitarian Center, and the Proliska Humanitarian Mission.

Humanitarian workers and humanitarian vehicles must never be targets!

We call on the international community to strengthen the monitoring and documentation of attacks on humanitarian missions to ensure accountability for those responsible for war crimes.