An adorable cheese-loving Jack Russell has been helping Ukrainian forces by sniffing out explosives.
The two-year-old dog – called Patron – has gained social media fame after charming followers as well as the pyrotechnicians in Chernihiv – north of Kyiv – where he ‘continues to serve’.
He is the ‘soul and mascot’ of the group and helps the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) in clearing explosives.
The two-year-old dog – called Patron – has gained social media fame after charming followers as well as the pyrotechnicians in Chernihiv, where he ‘continues to serve’
Sometimes, at the end of a day of hard work, the dog is rewarded with a cheesy treat and a belly rub.
A Telegram post from the emergency services calls the small, cute pup: ‘our militant dog’.
It adds: ‘Thank you, friend, for your tireless work!’
Another post read: ‘(Patron) continues to help pyrotechnicians in the Chernihiv region to clean the land of Russian “gifts”.
‘So be aware, look under your feet and do not upset Patron.’
He is the ‘soul and mascot’ of the group and helps the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) in clearing explosives
More recently Patron’s valiant efforts have earned him a few fans who have drawn the four-legged soldier.
‘Friends, we really want to show you a few more Ukrainian talents,’ the emergency services said.
‘Our brave baby Patron has inspired an incredible number of talented artists and we are incredibly happy about it.
‘This motivates us not to give up, no matter how hard it is, to keep the bar high and to go into battle with new strength, knowing how many people are still waiting for help and how many people believe in us.
‘Our Patron also does not lower his paws and conveys his gratitude to everyone. Great heroes are not necessarily great.
‘Therefore, believe in your strength, in our defenders, in our victory. Approach it on all fronts wherever you can and do not slow down.’
An emergency services spokesperson said 54,000 mines and unexploded ordnance, which includes nearly 2,000 missiles, have been found and deactivated with more than 600 deminers working across Ukraine, the Washington Post reports.
On Thursday pyrotechnics of the with the Ukrainian emergency services were reported clearing the Kyiv region of ammunition.
Sometimes, at the end of a day of hard work, Patron the dog is rewarded with a cheesy treat
Another post read: ‘(Patron) continues to help pyrotechnicians in the Chernihiv region to clean the land of Russian ‘gifts’
It said: ‘Shells are mined in the yards of private houses, along roads, in open areas and infrastructure.
‘About 500 munitions were destroyed by sappers alone.
‘Twenty pyrotechnic calculations of the State Emergency Service in Buchansky, Brovarsky and Boryspil districts were involved in the works.’
This week Ukrainian authorities in the northeastern city of Kharkiv warned people not to go near what they said were landmines being dropped on the city.
On Monday, security forces cordoned off an area in the east of Kharkiv as they cleared a number of small devices scattered across residential streets.
Lieutenant Colonel Nikolay Ovcharuk, head of the demining unit of the state emergency service, said the devices were plastic PTM-1M mines, which detonate using timers and which were widely used by Soviet forces in Afghanistan.
‘They have self-destructing timers,’ he said as loudspeakers warned people not to approach the cordoned-off area where mine disposal teams were working.
Reuters could not independently confirm the type of device.