Ukraine’s ‘Khartiia’ Brigade Uses UGV to Evacuate Frontline ‘Mouser’

Troops from the Ukrainian National Guard’s 13th Khartiia (Charter) Brigade reported on Telegram on Friday that it had carried out what they called “an unconventional special operation on the Kharkiv front” – the evacuation of a cat using an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).

The combat troops decided to use the Zmiy-500 UGV after it had carried out one of its main missions to the front, which, on this occasion, was the delivery of military supplies to the combat line. Rather than sending it back empty to the company’s permanent deployment location they decided to take the opportunity to evacuate their cat Prapor (Flag) who they decided had spent long enough being at risk on the front line.

The social media post said: “For a long time the cat was in position near the line of combat contact north of Kharkiv. It shared everyday life and the difficult realities of war with us – he became a true comrade… quite worthy of the status of a participant in the hostilities.”

An extended version of the Khatiia video posted on YouTube shows the troops putting the ginger and white cat into a plastic pet carrier which they then strap to the UGV before it is sent back. It is later transferred to a civilianized SUV and then freed into (presumably) the company headquarters, where a Khartiia member code-named “Zhuk” said, “The evacuation mission lasted three hours. Prapor was brought safe and sound to his final destination… and is now gradually adapting to the new stage of his life.

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The 850-kilogram (1,900-pound) Zmiy-500 ground drone produced by the Ukrainian Rovertech company has carried out a multitude of logistic, resupply, and casualty evacuation missions to Ukraine’s combat units. In August, a Khartiia forward position used one of the UGVs to evacuate a wounded soldier to a medical unit – a distance of around 34 kilometers (21 miles).

In the same month, Ukraine’s Armed Forces’ 118th separate mechanized brigade posted a video on Facebook of a UGV evacuating a wounded soldier across heavy terrain.