(Dan Tri) – The Ukrainian army revealed the contribution of special forces cats in the more than 2-year war with Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers and special forces cat (Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine).
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense published a photo of its soldiers holding an animal that Kiev described as a `special forces cat` on the official X social networking site.
The photo shows both the Ukrainian soldier and the dark brown cat with their eyes covered.
In the fierce war that has lasted more than 2 years between Russia and Ukraine, Kiev considers cats as `secret weapons`.
They also help the Ukrainian army deal with the rat problem in cellars and trenches, preventing rodents from destroying clothes, food…
Many cats even help the Ukrainian army raise funds to maintain fighting efforts.
Shayba cat is very famous on social networks (Photo: Oleksandr Liashuk).
Oleksandr Liashuk is a soldier from Odesa in southern Ukraine.
Liashuk attributed his fundraising success to Shayba’s popularity.
`Shayba’s fans are everywhere – from Chile to Japan – so Shayba’s stories have touched the hearts of people around the world, motivating them to contribute to Ukraine,` he said.
Thanks to Shayba’s fundraising efforts, Liashuk said he was able to purchase eight military vehicles for his unit, an anti-drone gun and a thermal imaging camera.
Another famous cat on the front line is Stepan, whose Instagram account has 1.4 million followers.
The proceeds from this store were donated to the Ukrainian army.
Last year, Stepan and owner Anna helped raise $665,000 to help the 13th Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard purchase electronic warfare systems and reconnaissance equipment.
The cat also actively participated in a campaign to raise nearly $800,000 to support the military needs of Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, Anna said.
Stephan’s cat has his own store on social networks (Photo: BI).
In 2022, Stepan also became the ambassador of the `Ukrainian Cultural Rescue` program, a project aimed at restoring Ukrainian cultural artifacts damaged during the conflict.
Both Anna and Liashuk said they hope the cats can bring hope to soldiers, helping them get the equipment they need to continue fighting.
`In these difficult times, Stepan has become a symbol of solidarity and resilience, showing that even a small cat can make big dreams come true,` Anna said.
