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Patron, a Jack Russell Terrier in Ukraine, received a service medal Sunday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for helping the country’s military to clear mines and explosive equipment.
The sapper dog has helped Ukrainian forces clear areas previously occupied by Russia’s military and he has helped teach Ukrainian children the “necessary safety rules in a mine-affected area,” the Kyiv Independent reported.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy award service dog “Patron” during a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 8, 2022.
(Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
“Today, I want to award those Ukrainian heroes who are already clearing our land of mines. And together with our heroes, a wonderful little sapper — Patron — who helps not only to neutralize explosives but also to teach our children the necessary safety rules in areas where there is a mine threat,” Zelenskyy said during a ceremony, Reuters reported.
Zelenskyy also recognized Patron’s “selfless service,” a video of the ceremony showed.
Patron’s owner Myhailo Iliev, a major in the Civil Protection Service, was also presented with an award during the ceremony, according to the report.
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The sapper dog has helped Ukrainian forces clear areas previously occupied by Russia’s military.
(Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Ukraine’s foreign ministry tweeted last weekend that Patron helped pyrotechnics in Chernihiv clear over 260 explosive devices.
The bomb-sniffing dog also met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the head of state’s surprise visit to Ukraine Sunday.
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The camera-loving Patron has over 214,000 followers on Instagram.
A deminer and his explosive material sniffer dog Patron stand next to unexploded material at an airport in the Kyiv region, on May 5, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
