HEARTBREAKING photos show terrified animals trapped in zoos as Vladimir Putin's troops continue to hammer Ukraine with relentless bombing.

       Amid the widespread death and destruction, wild creatures housed at zoos across the country are being tormented by shelling, with very few able to be evacuated.

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       Animals at Mykolayiz Zoo in Ukraine have been left distressed by shelling Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ukraine 12

       The zoo's director is fundraising for cash to feed the animals Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ukraine 12

       Many staff at Kyiv Zoo have moved on-site to care for tormented animals as the war rages on Credit: Reuters 12

       Some animals have been evacuated as the country suffers relentless shelling Credit: Reuters

       As Putin's forces unleash a barrage of strikes, more than three million Ukrainians have fled the country - with many taking their pets with them.

       But many wild animals remain holed up at the country's zoos as they take a battering from shelling.

       Some zookeepers are among those who have been evacuated, while others have taken up arms to fiercely defend their country.

       Harrowing photos show the confused animals left behind, with few staff left to take care of the stressed creatures.

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       Mykolayiv Zoo was forced to close its doors on February 25 after Putin unleashed his troops into Ukraine and, with half of the staff evacuated and many sent to fight, its director Volodymyr Topchyi decided to stay behind to care for the animals.

       But with its doors shut and no funds coming in, food quickly started to run out, with Topchyi asking animal lovers to buy tickets online to pay for supplies.

       Meanwhile, five bears were frantically relocated from White Rock Bear Shelter near Kyiv to a sanctuary in the village of Domazhyr as the capital suffers daily attacks.

       Six lions, six tigers, two caracals and an African wild dog were also evacuated to Poland's Pznan Zoo to keep them safe, while other animals have been transferred to Belgium.

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       At the besieged Kyiv Zoo, animals are being left distressed and frightened as air sirens blare and blasts ring through the city.

       Around 50 staff members have moved into the complex along with their families to give the animals the round-the-clock care they need - with a bird enclosure and an unfinished aquarium made into makeshift shelters.

       But many of the larger animals cannot be moved below ground, with Horace the Asian elephant - panicked by explosions - put on sedatives, reports the Washington Post.

       And at the Feldman Ecopark zoo in the eastern city of Kharkiv, facilities were reportedly damaged in a Russian attack.

       “Some animals were injured, some were killed,” the zoo said on Facebook.

       “Fighting is still going on in the Feldman Ecopark area, so, unfortunately, the losses are not final yet.”

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       Five bears from a shelter near Kyiv have been moved to another sanctuary Credit: Twitter/Four Paws Australia 12

       Several animals have been evacuated to the Poznan Zoo in Poland Credit: Reuters 12

       Alpacas at Kyiv's zoo as the capital remains under attack by Russian troops Credit: Reuters 12

       Mykolayiv Zoo director Volodymyr Topchyi has stayed on to care for the animals Credit: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ukraine

       It comes as Putin pushes forward with his stalling invasion - more than three weeks after the war began.

       Major cities are being pounded as Russian troops inch towards Kyiv in the face of defiant Ukrainian resistance.

       On Friday, missiles and shelling struck the edges of Kyiv, and a barrage of missiles were launched against an aircraft repair installation at an airport outside the western city of Lviv, close to the border with Poland.

       Early morning barrages also hit a residential building in the Podil neighborhood of Kyiv, killing at least one person, according to emergency services.

       Two other people were killed when strikes hit residential and administrative buildings in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, according to the regional governor.

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       Meanwhile, rescuers are continuing to search for survivors after a Russian airstrike struck a theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol where more than 1,000 women and children were thought to be sheltering.

       The Ukrainian parliament human rights commissioner said Friday that 130 people had survived but that hundreds remain unaccounted for.

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       Animals at Kyiz Zoo are distressed from air sirens and blasts Credit: Reuters 12

       Brave staff have stayed on to care for the animals Credit: EPA 12

       Kyiv has been continually shelled as Putin's war rages on Credit: Los Angeles Times / Polaris 12

       Animals in the capital have been left terrified by blasts Credit: Reuters