Meet Patron: Ukraine's bomb-sniffing hero pup

A Ukrainian dog patron is seen as a hero and a symbol of hope. Patron, a 2 yr old jack Russell, is a four-legged soldier who sniffs out landmines. (Credit: FOX News)

A 2-year-old Jack Russell is being seen as a hero and a symbol of hope in Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

Patron is a bomb-sniffing pup who draws huge crowds wherever he goes. He recently made an appearance at a children's event in Lviv, where he was swarmed by adoring fans.

"Ukraine needs some symbol of positivity, and we are happy that he inspired kids, people, Ukrainians and the whole world with his personality, braveness and the job he is doing bomb sniffing," Shchukina Iryan of Emergency Service of Ukraine told FOX News.

Patron is sort of seen as the mascot for the country's de-mining team, even drawing praise from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy called him a hero and awarded him a medal for his bravery in sniffing out mines and teaching children about safety in land-minded areas.

Russia took aim Sunday at Western military supplies for Ukraine, launching airstrikes on Kyiv that it claimed destroyed tanks donated from abroad, as Vladimir Putin warned that any Western deliveries of longer-range rocket systems would prompt Moscow to hit "objects that we haven’t yet struck."

In recent days, Russian forces have focused on capturing Ukraine’s eastern cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. On Sunday they continued their push, with missile and airstrikes on cities and villages in the Donbas.

In the cities of Sloviansk and Bakhmut, cars and military vehicles were seen speeding into town from the direction of the front line. Dozens of military doctors and paramedic ambulances worked to evacuate civilians and Ukrainian servicemen, and a hospital was busy treating the injured, many hurt by artillery shelling.

Also Sunday, Zelenskyy traveled to the Zaporizhzhia region in the southeast, which is partly under Russian control. He received a battle report, thanked troops and met with refugees in what was only his second public visit outside the Kyiv area since the war began.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.