A mine-sniffing dog credited with detecting more than 200 explosives since the start of the war in Ukraine has been given a medal for his services to the country.
Patron, a two-and-a-half-year-old jack russell, was presented with the award by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at a ceremony in Kyiv.
The terrier, whose name means “ammo” in Ukrainian, sniffs out Russian mines and explosives in the north-eastern city of Chernihiv and acts as a mascot of the country’s state emergency service.
He has become a national symbol of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia, featuring regularly in videos on official Ukrainian social media channels.
A dog called Patron, who works with SES rescuers in Chernihiv, has helped defuse nearly 90 explosive devices since the beginning of the full-scale invasion 🐶 One day, Patron's story will be turned into a film, but for now, he is faithfully performing his professional duties. pic.twitter.com/2PpT8p4Yfr
— Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) March 19, 2022
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. pic.twitter.com/hw4zyA8S9R
— Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) May 1, 2022
Zelenskiy presented Patron and his owner, Mykhailo Iliev, with their awards at a news conference, alongside Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, who made a surprise visit to the country on Sunday. As Patron was presented with his award, Trudeau patted his pockets as though looking for dog treats.
Ukraine president @ZelenskyyUa decorated the army service dog Patron in the presence of Canada’s leader @JustinTrudeau pic.twitter.com/oMflbUFuCW
— Bojan Pancevski (@bopanc) May 8, 2022
“Today, I want to award those Ukrainian heroes who are already clearing our land of mines,” Zelenskiy said in a statement after the ceremony. “And together with our heroes, a wonderful little sapper – Patron – who helps not only to neutralise explosives, but also to teach our children the necessary safety rules in areas where there is a mine threat.”
