Ukrainian troops flew a cat and a dog 7.5 miles by drone to evacuate them from the front lines, animal rights group says

A Ukrainian FPV drone pilot. The war has seen drones take on a growing list of odd missions, including escorting prisoners of war and, now, rescuing pets. Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images 2026-04-07T04:01:01.240Z Share Copy link Email Facebook WhatsApp X LinkedIn Bluesky Threads lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. A Ukrainian animal rights group said troops took a pet cat and dog on a long-distance drone ride. It said the animals were evacuated from the front after the soldier caring for the cat was injured. They're yet another example of the war turning drones into everyday logistics tools. AI-generated summary Summaries are generated by an AI model trained on Business Insider's articles. AI may make mistakes or provide inaccurate/incomplete information. We're unable to load that answer right now. Please try again. What are FPV drones used for in Ukraine? What challenges do animal rescues face in war? What role do animals play in military settings? How are drones aiding in logistics? How have drones evolved in military use? Ukrainian fighters used an uncrewed aerial system to ferry two pets from the front lines to safety, a local animal rights group said on Monday. Loading audio narration... The welfare organization, UAnimals, said in a social media post that troops from the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade flew the cat and dog roughly 7.5 miles using a drone that was returning from a food supply mission.Videos posted by the animal welfare organization showed each animal arriving at its destination in separate green sacks attached to a drone by a rope. The clips also showed each pet later interacting with soldiers in a shelter.Both animals are safe and in the hands of the Ukrainian military, UAnimals said."Risky? Yes, but leaving them there was even more dangerous, and it would not otherwise have been possible to pick them up," the organization wrote of the operation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by UAnimals (@uanimals.official) UAnimals said the cat was evacuated after a soldier who had been caring for it was admitted to the hospital with injuries. The dog was later added to the passenger list, it wrote.The pet rescue operation adds to the growing list of logistics and supply feats performed in the war by small drones, including escorting prisoners of war, prompting soldiers to surrender, and delivering an electric bike for infantry stuck behind enemy lines.Since last year, Ukraine and Russia have increasingly relied on small aerial and ground drones for tasks beyond direct attack or reconnaissance, deploying them extensively to carry supplies and matériel to and from the front lines.One Ukrainian brigade said in February that it had used drones to transport 200 metric tons of goods, roughly equivalent to 10,000 troops each carrying about 44 pounds of supplies, in a single month.