Video Shows Ukrainian Soldier Rescuing Dog From Floods in Donut Inflatable

A Ukrainian soldier has been praised by one of his country’s top officials after footage that apparently showed him saving a dog from drowning—with the help of an inflatable pink donut—went viral.

The video, which was tweeted by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, was uploaded on Monday and viewed more than 36,000 times within hours.

The 42-second clip, which was set to rousing music, showed how the soldier had apparently downed his weapons in order to pick up a bright pink inflatable to save a dog. The soldier, who has not been named publicly, used the inflatable to help keep himself buoyant as he swam to reach the animal, struggling in the floodwaters caused by an explosion.

It’s not the first time the fate of the nation’s animals has been in the spotlight during the war with Russia. Back when the conflict first started, Ukrainian zookeepers announced they may have to put down all their large animals—including lions and tigers—after its enclosures were destroyed by Russian shelling. And in November last year, Russian troops were accused of looting animals—including a raccoon and a llama—from a Ukrainian zoo.

The video shared by Gerashchenko this week opened with the soldier making his way through deep flood waters towards the dog. Trees and pylons can be seen emerging from the fast-moving currents of the flood, which was reportedly caused when the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) dam was destroyed by Russian forces on Thursday.

The soldier reaches the struggling mid-sized dog, and a much larger dog is strong enough to swim out to join him as he clasps the animal up on to the inflatable and begins to swim back to the bank. He lifts the dog out of the water as soon as he’s able to stand, and cradles her like a baby as he walks back on to dry land. The animal nuzzles his neck before he sets her down and she tries to shake herself dry. The larger dog pads over to greet her, and the video ends with a shot of the rescuer—who had waded into the water in a T-shirt and his underwear—giving the saved dog a belly rub as she wags her tail.

Gerashchenko captioned the clip: “Defender from 126th Territorial Guards brigade rescues a dog stuck in water in Kherson region after the Kakhovka HPP was destroyed. Glory to Heroes!”

Hundreds of Twitter users retweeted the footage, and dozens posted a comment beneath praising the soldier. Several commentators noted how smart the man was to use the donut tube during the rescue, while one added: “I like how that big guy just stands there with the pink donut floatie around his waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world.”

Newsweek has reached out to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and Russia’s Foreign Ministry by email for further information and comment.