Internet-famous cat Stepan escapes from Ukraine

March 18 (UPI) -- Stepan, an internet-famous tabby cat who has more than a million followers on Instagram and Tik Tok, has escaped war-torn Ukraine.

The cat's social media pages went silent on March 3, alarming his followers. Stepan's owner, known only as Anna, gave an update on Instagram this week on how they made it to safety following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We spent two nights in the basement and without electricity for a week. We had to go to the nearby basement to charge the phone. Then we managed to leave the city. Kharkiv volunteers helped by taking us to the railway station. We got on the train Kharkiv - Lviv (in 20 hours, we got to Lviv). Then we followed to the border with Poland," the post said alongside photos of Stepan's journey.

"At the border, we stood in line in a pedestrian crossing. There were a lot of people (4-5 thousand). After 9 hours, we crossed the border. When we reached Poland, we were offered help from the World Influencers and Bloggers Association from Monaco. They helped us get to France to wait for the very day when we could return home. We're all right now. We worry very much about our relatives in Ukraine and will do the very best we can to help our country," the post continued.

Anna, her family and Stepan were able to escape with the help of The World Influencers and Bloggers Association. The organization, founded in 2019, unites influencers from all over the world.

The organization, who voted Stephan as one of the world's top pet influencers, was able help the family escape, and rented an apartment in France for the famous tabby and his owners to stay in.

"It was not so easy, on each stage we were in touch with them," said Iryna Savchak, a spokeswoman for the World Influencers and Bloggers Association. "Now, we are personally taking care of them in France."

Stepan's Instagram account detailed the damage done to his family's home and surroundings in Kharkiv.

The 13-year-old tabby cat called for peace recently with his Instagram account stating "Ukraine does not want a war," alongside a photo of the cat with a Ukrainian-colored heart above his head.

Stepan came to fame in November when Britney Spears posted content from the cat that was liked more than one million times. Hailey Bieber and Diane Kruger are also fans.