Russian Lawmaker Proposes Using Stray Dogs in Military as Troops Struggle

A Russian lawmaker has proposed training "large" and "aggressive" stray dogs for battlefield missions in Ukraine, according to a video shared on Russian media.

A Russian Telegram channel on Tuesday posted a clip from the country's parliamentary television broadcast that showed State Duma deputy Fedot Tumusov suggesting that homeless dogs be trained for combat use. The Moscow Times reported that Tumusov brought up the idea during a discussion about possible amendments to a law that gives regions in Russia the right to euthanize stray dogs.

Tumusov's proposal comes as Kyiv's military reported its research shows that Russia has suffered more than 200,000 troop deaths in Ukraine since it began its full-scale invasion almost 15 months ago. (Newsweek could not independently verify the figure.) Numerous other reports in recent months have also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's soldiers have become increasingly dissatisfied with being sent to the war's front lines despite a lack of combat experience.

"We have a lot of cynologists in our country who can teach dogs all sorts of different skills," Tumusov said. "Cynologists would train large and aggressive dogs and send them to the [war] zone. Let them help pull out the wounded, participate in demining."

Tumusov is a well-known figure in Russia and has been involved in politics for more than three decades. He has also been sanctioned by the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom for his support of Putin's war in Ukraine.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, shared the clip of Tumusov's suggestion about dogs on Twitter Wednesday.

"In case you were wondering about the level of insanity in Russia," Gerashchenko wrote in the caption of his tweet.

Jason Jay Smart—a political adviser on post-Soviet and international politics—told Newsweek that he feels Tumusov's suggestion "is indicative of the fact that Russians realize that things are falling apart—quickly."

"Look at the radical difference between Russia's 'new technology'—training stray dogs—versus Ukraine's 'new technology' of Patriot missiles worth nearly a billion dollars and now efforts to send F-16s to Ukraine," Smart said. "Russia is just heading closer to the abyss."

Russia's large population of stray canines has been an issue of public debate for the country in recent months after some high-profile attacks by street dogs, including one in April in the city of Orenburg that resulted in the death of a young boy.

The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported last month that one city, Chita, even announced a state of high alert due to the increase in stray dog attacks. The alert warned residents not to let children and seniors outside unaccompanied.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.