Patron (dog)

[8][citation needed] The video, in which Patron can be seen sniffing around debris and sitting in Iliev's lap while wearing a small bulletproof vest personalized with his name in Cyrillic letters, went viral, garnering over 267,000 views and 16,000 reactions.

In addition to his help in demining efforts, Patron has been actively involved in charity work, making visits to patients at the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv.

[citation needed] Due to his viral fame, dangerous work, and charity appearances, Patron has been described as an "unexpected social media weapon" for Ukraine.

[12][13] They noted that the use of viral videos with dramatic stories help contribute to forming the desired narrative regarding the war while in Patron's case, it has the added benefit of raising awareness of the problem of mine-clearing in de-occupied territories of Ukraine.

[17][18] Four days later, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, jointly honored Patron and Iliev with the Order for Courage, Third Class, thanking them for their service to Ukraine.

Patron standing next to two defused Russian land mines.
Patron in Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital , April 2022.
Patron with the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken