By Vestnik Kavkaza
Last weekend, the former Soviet Union paid tribute to the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. June 22 is a sorrowful date in our history. Exactly 72 years ago, Nazi forces invaded the Soviet Union. Millions of people were killed in battle and in the rear. And man's best friend fought for the Motherland - dogs that saved the lives of the people, and often gave their lives for them.
More than 60,000 dogs of different breeds fought for our freedom. The often four-legged soldiers pulled about seven hundred thousand people from shelling, helped to defuse four million tons of bombs and delivered 3,500 tons of ammunition and more than 120,000 reports. At the request of veteran soldiers in Moscow on Poklonnaya Hill a monument to the Front Dog has been unveiled.
Vladimir Zaborowski, director of the Museum on Poklonnaya Hill, said at the unveiling ceremony that it was entrusted to front dogs to walk on June 24, 1945, at the parade in honor of the Victory. “During the war, dogs-signalers delivered more than 200,000 messages and unwounded more than 7,000 km of cable. As for defusing mines, they found with sappers more than 400 million landmines and bombs. And of course, the dogs blew up more than 300 tanks and armored vehicles of the enemy. General Lelyushenko said during the Battle of Moscow: "The dogs have reversed the attack of German tanks when German tank crews saw these great fighters." Dogs were a reminder for the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army on the family home, on the hearth, they were the favorites in the army,” Vladimir Zaborowski stated.
According to head of the Ministry of Culture Vladimir Medinskiy, who unveiled the memorial, veterans had sought such recognition for almost ten years. He reminded that dogs are now serving in the war and dying. Medinsky was also shocked that dogs shot down more than 300 tanks. “This is not a made-up number. For every destroyed tank the gunners were paid during the war. Accordingly, in the system of socialist economy every ruble was taken into account. So there were accurate records of each tank blown up by a dog. 300 tanks are two German panzer divisions, it's more than some European armies destroyed in bloody battles against the Nazi invaders. And we need to think about how much lives were saved by our four-legged friends. After all, they did not do that for reward, not for medals, not for money. They did it out of love for their owners. Without a second thought, they rushed under the tank, just as our grandfathers and great-grandfathers gave their lives for their country. Perhaps this is some kind of amazing symbolism,” – the minister of culture is sure.
