A Bosnian man rescued an abandoned bear cub. Now they're inseparable

MOUNT OZREN, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Masa the bear lumbers across a grassy enclosure on Bosnia's Mount Ozren before rising onto her hind legs and wrapping her front paws around her friend, Petar Tubic.

The pair's unlikely friendship began in 2019 when Tubic found Masa abandoned as a cub in a forest and took her home. They have been inseparable ever since.

“The stuffed bear is the most popular toy in the world,” Tubic said. “Now imagine having a real bear by your side who is irresistible, but also a huge responsibility."

Masa weighed just 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) when Tubic found her. Alone in the mountains, without her mother, she likely would not have survived. Tubic cared for the cub, feeding her milk and fruit until she regained her strength.

Finding Masa sent Tubic's life in an unexpected direction, making him care for an animal he knew almost nothing about, he recalled. He has since adopted another female bear, named Ljubica, who also lives on the property.

Masa now weighs about 150 kilograms (330 pounds) and is expected to grow heavier in the coming winter months. Seemingly unaware of her size, she still routinely tries to sit on Tubic’s lap as she did when she was a cub.

Tubic said playtime with bears often comes with a few bruises or a torn hoodie despite their gentle intentions.

“That’s a fact,” he said. “A push of her paw could knock someone out."

Thanks to Masa and Ljubica, Tubic's home on Mount Ozren has become a local tourist attraction where visitors come to see the bears and other rescued animals. Tubic also cares for two wolves, deer, raccoons and scores of other animals.

“People often say that they are my pets, but I would turn that around and say I am more of a pet to them,” he said. “They shaped my life, and I shaped theirs in some way.”

Tubic lives with his wife Milica Tubic and 9-year-old daughter, Eva. An electrician by profession, Tubic also enjoys paragliding, caving and hiking. But the family's main joy is spending time with animals.

While he has considered returning the bears to the wild, Tubic is worried that they have grown too accustomed to people and that releasing them would put them in danger.

So, at least for now, Masa and Ljubica remain with Tubic and his family. He said that his fascination with bears continues to this day, and offers a connection to what he described as the “real world" at a time when people spend much of their lives behind screens.

“They (bears) opened a door to me to a world I didn’t know existed, or maybe to the one I had never paid much attention to," he said, noting that the learning process worked both ways.

“You could say we’ve been educated together.”

In this photo taken with a smartphone, Petar Pero Tubic sits with pet female bears Masa, right, and Ljiubica on Mount Ozren, near the town of Doboj, Bosnia, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Eldar Emric)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, Petar Pero Tubic sits near female bear Ljiubica on Mount Ozren, near the town of Doboj, Bosnia, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Eldar Emric)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, Petar Pero Tubic sits near female bear Ljiubica on Mount Ozren, near the town of Doboj, Bosnia, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Eldar Emric)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, Petar Pero Tubic sits with pet female bears Masa, right, and Ljiubica on Mount Ozren, near the town of Doboj, Bosnia, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026.(AP Photo/Eldar Emric)

WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged Ukrainian city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday.

The localized ceasefire is set to begin Thursday, with the American first lady saying in a news release that the situation there is “on the brink of disaster.”

The White House said Melania Trump had initiated the discussions and that she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. There was no immediate confirmation of the ceasefire from the Ukrainian or the Russian governments.

"What she wants to do is save children, and that’s her focus," President Donald Trump said of the first lady during a question-and-answer exchange with journalists.

Melania Trump has made helping children in conflict one of her signature issues and hosted a U.N. Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year. She has written Russian President Vladimir Putin to work on efforts to reunite families with children who have been displaced by the war.

Food and medical supplies have been scarce for months in Oleshky, which sits on the Dnipro River that separates Ukrainian forces from the city’s Russian occupiers. There is no electricity, heat or running water. Roads leading from town are mined and dotted with burned-out cars. Drones buzz overhead.

Once a city of about 24,000 residents, Oleshky was captured by Moscow’s forces on the first day of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Its buildings were shelled and burned, and its infrastructure damaged. In June 2023, floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military. Hundreds of residents were killed.

Those left in the city along Ukraine’s southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms. Ukraine has appealed repeatedly for a local ceasefire to organize evacuations. Russia, which as the occupying power is obligated by international law to ensure civilians under its control have what they need to survive, had made no commitment.

Melania Trump said in the White House news release that civilian leaders from Ukraine and Russia will visit Oleshky residents to determine the level of assistance they require.

“Residents who wish to evacuate will receive coordinated support and transportation to their preferred destination,” she said. “I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine.”

Melania Trump also said “an impartial American media organization” will accompany and document Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground throughout the process.

"This will play a significant role in ensuring that the wishes of each family are faithfully respected,” she said.

The statement did not identify the media organization.

The Russian state news agency Tass quoted Russia’s human rights ombudswoman Yana Lantratova as saying she has discussed the situation in Oleshky with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets. Lantratova did not elaborate, saying only that more information “will be released later.”

Earlier this month, the Kremlin said Lantratova would be in touch with Melania Trump’s office on the situation in Oleshky. Lantratova confirmed that she was in contact with the first lady’s team.

Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. Follow the AP's coverage of Melania Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/melania-trump and the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

FILE - First lady Melania Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

In this undated image from video provided by the Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" on Sept. 30, 2026, destroyed cars are seen on a highway from the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine. (Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" via AP)

In this undated image from video provided by the Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" on Sept. 22, 2026, smoke rises from a residential neighborhood in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region of Ukraine. (Ukrainian 34th Separate Marine Brigade "Borysfen" via AP)

First lady Melania Trump speaks during an event about women's health, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)