The European Union has handed over to Kyiv a third group of 12 sapper dogs to demine the territory of Ukraine, the European Commission's Delegation to Poland said in a statement, UNN reports .
Details
It is known that the ceremony of handing over the dogs to the Ukrainian side took place on Friday, June 14, at the Lososina Dolna airfield near Nowy Sącz in southern Poland.
Thanks to a European Commission project, one German shepherd and 11 Belgian shepherds will support the Ukrainian army as it counteracts Russian aggression. This is the third group of talented animals that are saving lives thanks to their ability to find and neutralize shells, explosives, and radioactive substances
The agency says that the sapper dogs were trained in Belgium, Poland, Italy, Malta, Luxembourg and Finland. In Poland, the dogs underwent a 14-day adaptation course at the Carpathian Border Guard Detachment of Poland, during which Ukrainian dog handlers got to know their new charges.
The handover ceremony included a presentation of the dogs' explosive detection capabilities and a symbolic handover to their new Ukrainian guardians.
The estimated budget of this project, which will last until 2025, is EUR 3 million. In total, the European Commission will provide Ukraine with 50 specially trained bomb-sniffing dogs. The first group of nine sapper dogs was already transferred to Ukraine in March last year, and the second group of nine dogs was transferred last year in November
According to the State Emergency Service, as of December 2023, 277 people have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war due to explosions from mines or other explosive devices. In addition, 608 people were injured, including 74 children.
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