Records dating back to 1840 show that dogs were used by the military during the Caucasian War, one of the longest conflicts in Russian history – it lasted for more than 60 years. Canines served as front rank guardsmen and were used as scouts to warn their masters about the advancing enemy.
Famous Russian military commander General Skobelev used dogs in his campaign in Central Asia in the 1890s. They were used to carry ammunition, deliver mail, and patrol perimeters
Doberman Pinscher Tref
Public domainTank's crew and Julbars
Emmanuil Evzerikhin/TASSDuring WWII about 60,000 dogs were drafted into the army. Almost 700,000 wounded soldiers were transported from battlefields by loyal canines. Dogs are also credited with finding millions of mines and evendestroying enemy tanks by planting bombs. One legendary dog called Julbars unearthed 7,000 mines and artillery shells, and after being wounded in battle he was carried in the arms of a soldier during the Victory Parade in Moscow in June 1945
In Russian military units stationed in the Arctic, dogs are used to pull sleds.
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