Ukrainian army deploys cat noises to lure Russians into explosive-laden traps, soldier claims
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Russian sapper claims Ukrainians are using cat noises to draw invaders into booby traps in Donetsk. Ukrainians are using recordings of cat noises to lure Vladimir Putin’s forces into explosive-rigged traps, a Russian soldier has claimed. With the grit and ingenuity of the Ukrainian army frequently evidenced in its success in defending against Russia’s vast invading force, it has now been claimed that they are turning to an unusual tactic in appealing to the Russians’ reported fondness for cats.
The tactic has been reported on the frontline of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, which has seen some of the war’s most gruelling fighting in recent months as Mr Putin’s forces sought to capture as much territory as possible ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House this week.
![[Ukrainian servicemen of 24th Mechanised brigade train at the polygon not far from frontline in Donetsk region]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/22/07/c7573c22b5cf45dabc7a1bab1b25f87f.jpg)
According to The Times, Leonid Otdelnov, the commander of a mine-clearing unit told state-owned channel TV Zvezda: “We go in, we hear meowing, let’s say, in the cupboard. “When you open it, out of compassion, there is a blast, because it has been rigged with explosives.”.
Mr Otdelnov did not say whether any Russians had been killed by the traps, and it was not possible to verify his claims. The Moscow Times reported last year that Russian soldiers had started bringing cats to deal with rodent infestations on the front lines, while the firm Dalia Research claimed in 2017 that Russia was the only country in the world where the majority of people owned a cat.
