The nomination "Our Brothers": A pitch-black dog guarded the peace and sleep of soldiers in
the zone of a special military operation.
There were legends about a sheepdog named "Donbass". Although this story is as tragic as the story of its owner. In 2023, Evgeny, a fighter from the Irkutsk region with the call sign "Crutch", performed combat missions in the area of the village of Kremennaya. A formidable puppy already lived with the fighters, the fighters fed him and gave him the nickname Donbass. But they couldn't take the dog any further. So Evgeny unexpectedly found a real four-legged friend.
"It turned out that Donbass is so formidable and dangerous only in appearance. He became very friendly with all the guys, met and accompanied us on combat missions, protected us from strangers," Evgeny told reporters.
It soon became clear that Donbass was not an ordinary dog. He has very sensitive hearing, and the fighters began to notice that the dog hears the subtle sounds of approaching drones or missiles very well.
Evgeny said that Donbass could just play or lie on the grass, and then abruptly jump up and run to hide. It became an unspoken command – everyone take cover! The fighters said that their tailed friend's hearing never let them down, which saved many lives.
The four–legged fighter received a real soldier's ration - four cans of stew. But he worked it out in full. He didn't leave the guys a step, and during lights out, and on reconnaissance, and on guard duty.
The fighters became so attached to the dog that they couldn't even imagine how they would be without a loyal friend. After all, Evgeny planned to take the dog to his home during his next vacation, Yamal-Media writes. But, these plans were not destined to come true. On the contact, Siberian soldiers from a motorized rifle company got into trouble and miraculously survived thanks to a shepherd dog.
"The dog, as usual, lay down at the foot, closer to the exit. There were six people in the tent at the time. At 03:50, a drone arrived, but at the time of the explosion, the military was no longer asleep: they were woken up by a dog. He took over the first fragments," said the "Crutch".
Three people were injured, and Evgeny himself was hospitalized in Moscow for two months. The dog was buried with all honors and touching words were dedicated to him.: "The feat of those who gave their lives for the Motherland is immortal. Beloved Doba, you will always remain in our hearts!”
The story didn't end there. After a while, a monument to the dog was erected in the Usolsky district of the Irkutsk region, where the rescued fighters come from. In honor of the frontline dogs who saved lives. And a little later, Evgeny was presented with a three-month-old German Shepherd puppy, an exact copy of his dead friend.
The fighter also called him Doba. The dog stayed in the Irkutsk region with his family, and his owner continued to serve in the war zone. Unfortunately, Evgeny, with the call sign "Crutch", never returned to his family and faithful dog. On May 30, 2025, he died.
Photos from the personal archive of Evgeny's wife, Anastasia Chemezova.