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Ukrainian refugee family left heartbroken after their eight-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Ellie is stolen SIX days after they arrived in UK – as doorbell video shows moment suspected thieves stop to snatch beloved dog
- The Litvinova family drove over 2,000 miles from Kharkiv to escape the war
- They moved into a temporary home in Streatham, London last Monday
- Their eight-year-old dog Ellie was stolen from outside the house on Sunday
- Police investigations are ongoing but no arrests have been made
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A Ukrainian family who fled the war in their homeland have suffered more heartache after their dog was stolen six days after arriving in the UK.
Lina and Oleksiy Litvinova, both 40, their children Ivan, 17, and Kira, nine months, and Lina’s mum Larysa, 66, drove over 2,000 miles for three days across ten countries to escape the Russian onslaught.
They also travelled with their eight-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Ellie who they’ve had since it was a puppy.
The family moved into a temporary home in Streatham, south London last Monday while awaiting a permanent residence but after being in the country less than a week their precious dog Ellie was stolen on Sunday morning.
Eight-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Ellie travelled with her family from war-torn Ukraine but was stolen less than a week after arriving in the UK
The dog is thought to have been taken from outside the Litvinova family’s temporary home in Streatham, south London. Pictured: Ellie with Ivan (left), Oleksiy (middle) and Lina (right)
Lina (pictured) said she is ‘heartbroken’ about the theft of her dog
Ring doorbell footage shows the moment a red BMW stopped in the middle of the road outside the family-of-five’s house and Ellie can then be seen running out.
Lina claims two people in the BMW told passersby they were the owners before snatching the dog and driving off with her in broad daylight.
Lina said: ‘We are heartbroken. Me and my mother can’t stop crying.
‘This sort of thing just doesn’t seem to happen back in our home town of Kharkiv.
‘But we arrive here in England and within a few days Ellie is snatched.
‘I don’t know why she was stolen and I don’t particularly want the people punished.
‘We just want Ellie back.’
Ring doorbell footage from a house across the street shows a red BMW stop at the side of the road as the little dog runs out the house
Lina said she doesn’t know why Ellie (pictured with nine-month-old Kira) was stolen and just wants her back but no arrests have been made so far
A Met Police spokesperson said no arrests have yet been made ‘but enquiries into the circumstances continue’.
The spokesman added: ‘Police were contacted at approximately 1.40pm on Sunday August 7 to reports of a dog theft from Ellison Road, SW16.
‘The dog was reportedly stolen at around 10.30am that morning from outside an address.’