Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Ukraine president Volodymr Zelensky on May 8 honored a service dog named Patron, who has supposedly discovered hundreds of explosive devices in a few months since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the Ukrainian government.
Zelensky, standing next to Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, presented what appeared to be a medal to the two-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, a video posted on Telegram by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine showed.
Patron means "cartridge" or "bullet" in Ukrainian.
Trudeau made a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, on Sunday, May 9.
On his visit, he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing "heinous war crimes" and announced a round of military aid, according to the CBC.
Service dog
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a tweet on April 21 that Patron is a service dog in the city of Chernihiv.
"He has discovered over 150 explosive devices in #Ukraine since full scale #Russian invasion began. Patron works closely with deminers to make #Ukrainian cities safe again. Thank you so much for your service!" the ministry stated.
Minor celebrity
Patron has been a minor celebrity online.
In a May 1 tweet, Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security posted a video of Patron digging for explosives.
"Patron the dog keeps working hard — just yesterday, he helped defuse 262 items of explosive ordnance near #Chernihiv. We are very proud of our very good boy," the centre wrote.
In a tweet on April 30, Patron was seen photographed with a young girl.
Patron's heroics have been celebrated online before the award ceremony.
Top photos via olexander scherba & Visegrád 24