The best of boys received a well-earned bit of bronze
Patron a.k.a Bullet, a.k.a the Ukrainian mine-sniffing dog that many across the war-torn country can thank for his life-saving efforts, has been awarded with a medal for efforts in the ongoing war.
We reported on the cheese and belly-rub loving Jack Russell exploits back in April, when he and his highly-skilled defusal team had already removed hundreds of explosive devices across various regions in Ukraine.
Cut to Monday, May 9 and he and owner Myhailo Iliev, a major in the Civil Protection Service (Ukraine’s emergency service) were decorated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented a medal of courage to Patron, a Jack Russell terrier who detects bombs pic.twitter.com/3TBBMu54D1
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 8, 2022
As you can see in the clip, prior to Zelenskyy handing over the well-deserved accolade, an ever-alert Patron – whose name is said to mean ‘cartridge’ in Ukrainian – offers a few barks in Trudeau’s direction, as the two joke that he might have sniffed a treat in his pockets.
Patron and his crew are now said to have successfully identified and helped remove at least 200 mines and other unexploded Russian ordnance. You can see members of the press snapping images of the cult hero and his handler on their way into the Presidential Palace in Chernihiv down below:
Queue jumped earlier at the Presidential Palace by Ukraine’s most famous dog.
Patron made his name sniffing out bombs in Chernihiv, and was decorated by President Zelensky 🐕 pic.twitter.com/eyOHaLw0NW
— James Waterhouse (@JamWaterhouse) May 8, 2022
Well done, Patron, Myhailo and the rest of the Ukrainian minesweeping team; they are just one among so many doing incredible things and putting their lives on the line to protect their people from Putin’s invasion.
Elsewhere, animals are playing important roles on both sides as Russian forces have reportedly been using dolphins to guard their Black Sea naval base and the surrounding waters for some weeks now.
As Russia and Vladimir Putin hold their ‘Victory Day’ parade in Red Square, Moscow, fighting continues in the east of Ukraine in particular.
Many are condemning the president not only for his continued campaign but for also laying flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to those who died during WWII – including Ukrainians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier in Moscow as Russia marks Victory Day.
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— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 9, 2022
