Special equipment is available for different breeds of animals.
Special bulletproof vests for dogs began to arrive in the units operating in the SVO zone and in the border territories. The equipment is available in variants for different breeds and protects the vital organs of animals from bullets and shrapnel. The training of mine-hunting dogs is a lengthy and complex process, experts say, and special armor is needed to preserve such "piece-by-piece" personnel. The special protection for "human friends" who help bring back peaceful life to the regions affected by the fighting is in the Izvestia article.
Why do dogs need special body armor
The troops began receiving bulletproof vests for mine-detection dogs that work with sappers. They protect vital organs from bullets and shrapnel. The armor comes in different sizes, depending on the breed of the four-legged animal, sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia.
In particular, dogs working in border areas are wearing protective equipment, Roman Dudko, executive director of the BPR Jarl group of companies, which manufactures protective equipment, told Izvestia. With them, for example, the remnants of downed drones are neutralized. In addition, special armor was received by units operating in the Donetsk and Lugansk directions.
Image source: Photo: BPR Jarl Company
According to Viktor Tyupin, the head of the Regulus Group cynological center, the training of a service dog takes place in several stages. First, she needs socialization, she needs to get used to her surroundings. Then there is a general training course, and after that a special course begins — the animal learns to recognize explosives and give signals about finds. Successful completion of tasks is rewarded with a toy or a treat. The course lasts from six months to a year, after which the dog can work.
It doesn't take long for an animal to get used to a bulletproof vest, Dmitry Goncharenko, a sapper conducting mine clearance in the Donetsk People's Republic, told Izvestia.
— It happens that during the afternoon the animal gets used to it. The owner is with her, feeds her sweets. This is not horse riding. Dogs are very intelligent animals. She's not very comfortable at first, but then she gets used to it.
Image source: Photo: BPR Jarl Company
Goncharenko noted that the dog sometimes risks even more than the sapper himself.
— She walks next to him, and sometimes in front of him. And, of course, it needs protective equipment," he stressed. — The body armor covers the entire body except for the paws and head. There are no helmets for dogs, but there are glasses on which an anti-splinter film is glued.
Image source: Photo: BPR Jarl Company
The Armed Forces today use Caucasian, South Russian, Central Asian, German, Belgian Shepherds, Labradors, Moscow Guard Dogs, Russian black Terriers, Rottweilers, and Giant Schnauzers.
The 470th Training Center for Service Dog Breeding of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, located in the Moscow region, serves as the base for training dogs for the army. The Krasnaya Zvezda nursery operates at the center. Such breeds as the Moscow Watchdog, the Moscow Diver and the black terrier were bred in it.
"There is a lot of mine clearance work going on now," an associate professor at the Russian University of Economics told Izvestia. Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev Plekhanov. — We are liberating settlements almost daily. To establish a peaceful life there, one of the primary tasks is to clear the territory of explosive objects. Four—legged helpers are worth their weight in gold. It is more expensive to use them as consumables, because their training requires a lot of time and effort.
Body armor reduces the risk of serious injury to an animal and increases the chances that it will return to service after treatment, the expert added.
What protective equipment does the Russian industry produce?
Russian manufacturers are constantly developing new protective equipment for a wide variety of situations. Izvestia reported that a bulletproof vest for women had been developed . Specialized body armor, including a vest with anti-splinter inserts and Br5 armor plates, weighs about 7.5 kg. The key feature of the product is its adaptation to the female anatomy: the designers have provided a specific cut in the chest area and lengthened the front section.
Image source: Photo: BPR Jarl Company
In addition, the engineers have modified the geometry of the side elements of the front panel. This decision is dictated by the need for a tight fit of the body armor, since standard models often leave vulnerable gaps in the upper torso due to the peculiarities of the female physique.
Russian developers have also created the Bor-M bulletproof vest. It allows you to stay on the water. The required buoyancy margin is achieved through the use of lightweight materials in ballistic packages and damper inserts. At the same time, such design solutions do not reduce the protective properties of the product: a bulletproof vest is able to stop bullets fired from an assault rifle or machine gun.
Roman Kretsul
Bogdan Stepovoy
Maxim Vysochin
