Reports have come flooding in over the past few weeks of the alleged systematic rounding up and slaughtering of stray dogs by a pest removal company in Sochi, Russia, the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. It is believed that since October, nearly 300 dogs a month have been put down by either being shot or poisoned.

These dogs, supposedly, had moved in during the construction process in preparation of the Olympics, and never quite found their way out. Director general of pest control firm, Alexei Sorokin, admitted to his company’s involvement in, what he so cautiously put as the “catching and disposing” of dogs. Sorokin argued that some of the dogs were wild and dangerous and went on to add that such measures were Russia’s “responsibility to the international community and that their elimination is the quickest way to solve this problem.”

Luckily, as the true nature of the crimes became apparent to the general public, Russian animal rights activists began expressing their outrage and a Russian billionaire oligarch named Oleg Deripaska decided to intervene. With the help of his charity, Volnoe Delo (which roughly translates to good will), 140 dogs and counting have been allegedly saved from extermination. Depripaska explains that his heroic actions were emotionally spurred by his own relationship with a stray dog as a young boy. “It was a very close friend for almost five years,” he said when asked about the subject.

Olga Melnikova, who coordinated the rescue effort on behalf of Volnoe Delo explained how he was told, “Either you take all the dogs from the Olympic Village or we will shoot them.” Needless to say, the handling of this matter as well along with numerous other issues, has seriously undermined the positive light Russian President Vladimir Putin had intended to bring his country by hosting the Olympic Games.