Drone operators of the Khartiia 13th Brigade recently carried out an unusual rescue mission near their frontline positions, saving five puppies trapped in a dangerous area. What began as routine preparation for a combat sortie ended with a compassionate evacuation made possible by a ground robotic platform, a reminder that even in war, humanity persists.
That morning, operators from the Yasni Ochi strike UAV unit were preparing their drones near a front line dugout when unexpected sounds cut through the tension of the early hours. At first, the noises were hard to identify, but they clearly weren't part of the usual battlefield soundtrack.
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"I was carrying the drone to the launch pad when I heard whining from about 400 meters away. There's an abandoned dugout in that direction and lots of stretched anti-drone nets. One of the puppies had gotten tangled in the net," Joystick, a UAV operator, recalls.
After freeing the first frightened pup, the soldiers immediately heard another one crying just ten meters away. This one was trapped so tightly in the mesh that the net had pulled its skin around its eyes.
Moments later, a third puppy appeared on the horizon – filthy, soaked, and exhausted. The fighters carried all three back to their dugout to warm them up and feed them. Then two more puppies emerged, turning the rescue into a full-scale operation.
By evening, all five puppies were placed into two carriers and loaded onto the ground robotic complex, which completed the evacuation mission and returned safely to the unit's rear position. There, the soldiers built a makeshift shelter and continued caring for the dogs until volunteer support arrived.
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