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The fact that it took a prisoner exchange to return a dog speaks volumes of the mentality of Russian invaders.

At this point, I'm just glad they didn't eat him, Russia hasn't exactly been great at keeping its soldiers stocked up on the essentials.

>Given to the head of Chechnya as a trophy and renamed "Adidas".

Had to triple check this wasn't The Onion.

Welcome home Adik.

Stay safe Ukraine

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So far you're the only one who even mentioned that...

Wait, did the Russians trade a dog for their own pows? So in theory they believe a dog to be equivalent to a Russian soldier.

r/Pupliftingnews

Maybe he got tired of waiting?

Whoa. Never thought of that one.

Not too many animal lovers are going to side with the Ruskies after this I guess.

A dog can be a POW?

Imagine being a Ukrainian soldier watching a dog get freed instead of you

Soon russia will run out of fuel, tanks and vehicles, ammo, then guns.

...equivalent to an undisclosed number of Russian soldiers.

Ukrainians to Russian soldiers, "We value dogs more than you."

This dog actually does wonders for morale and continues to keep more international eyes on the fight ukraine trades Russian soldier for Ukrainian soldier while a good thing doesn't have the same pull as a story about a dog to pull at the heartstrings of people around the world

There were also 140 Ukraine soldiers that were freed as well.

Russian prisoners/criminals being returned to Russia isn't really "uplifting".

triple stripe ///

I dunno man, my morale would be higher if I got freed instead of a dog. Also as someone who isn’t a dog person this annoys my heartstrings more than anything lol

Its not about the morale of the singular captured soldier they are trying to maintain the morale of an entire nation under constant bombardment and outnumbered in the cold of winter without power

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If I was Ukrainian I wouldn’t give a shit about dogs and I would give a shit about human soldiers. I understand your perspective theoretically, because people are weird about dogs. But my perspective is valid as well

Lol that’s a hell of a lot more uplifting

Expanding on my previous point though the dog also has more appeal to people outside Ukraine than the Ukrainian soldier unfortunately, people love animals if they see a touching post about somebody being reunited with their pet stolen by Russian aggressors they might then decide to donate a buck or 2 to a cause that directly or indirectly helps the wider Ukrainian people. And a story about a dog being reunited with its owner is more likely to be shared in conflict averse crowds than a prisoner exchange. I have friends who I can't talk about their war with because they don't like the topic but by making it about the dog I can bring up a difficult topic that they otherwise wouldn't hear much about in a way they can digest and they may then in the same way support a cause

See, that’s so depressing to me. Human beings should always matter more than dogs. People have dirt for brains

But even in videos from front line soldiers you will see them sometimes with great affection talking about the trenches pet cat or the like because when your in dire straights that animal can be huge for you I'm a similar was as people with anxiety may have a service animal to help keep stay calm where people never could. So it's less about humans not caring about other humans but more so that war is a terrifying concept and people don't want to think about the senseless deaths of these men over expansionist greed but that dog helps them explore it in a hopeful light

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Personally, I usually like animals (especially dogs) far more than most people. In general, people are shit. Dogs are awesome.

That’s an opinion of yours, and not everyone shares it. Putin’s life is worth less than a dog for example.

Those mfers stole dog?

A German shepherd, a Jack Russell, and a golden retriever walk into a bar. The bartender says "Rrrruff night, fellas?"

Honestly I’m surprised they didn’t shoot it so this seems like a good ending to me?

The new Civ Rev game is going to have Russia’s modern day perk be “Prisoner Exchange”-When the Russians release a POW they receive double the units released for their army

You don't deserve to be downvoted

You are just surrounded by people who think with their emotions, not their rationale.

Which redditor set up this trade

The pics on reddit early in the war were gruesome… one pic had dog paws nailed to a board where the rest of the dog was eaten by hungry russian troops. Hopefully that gives some context about the comment.

If it's any consolation, this ridiculous "people don't matter but dogs do" thing is mostly American and not at all universal. It comes across as trashy as fuck to most other cultures.

So you acknowledge that they are a problem?

Ok but it’s owner was also “stolen” so who has it now?

"I could excuse war crimes against humans, but I draw the line at animal cruelty."

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Paws for pows

Good, although weird, news! But what is up with that horrible article? I repeats the same message every other sentence. Was it made by a bot?

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I just deleted a comment after reading yours. I had assumed they were both being released but I guess I can't assume that oh my God I hope he goes to family at least. At least he's not a trophy anymore.

And yet people still complain when someone calls the Russian invaders what they are: orcs.

They took his dog?!

Perhaps they were just liberating the dog from nazis. /s

Bruh they named their dog A Dik

In the Second World War, there were many stories about people having to eat their pets in Germany because there was no more meat.

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That's Adik move

But why eat your pet or someone else’s when you can eat a POW, much more meat.

They're doing their best

After Sandy Hook, my husband said that maybe we’d get an assault-weapons ban if someone shot Hoban animal shelter

Easily worth at least half a dozen Ruzzians.

If the sledgehammer them afterwards it's OK.

Are you 12?

Perhaps

I really hope any surviving russian troops come to hate their superiors and the politicians that sent them to go die starving in the cold.

That was a lot quicker than the arms dealer basketball player situation

Lmao what

Lol we’ve been downvoted by the dog people

Well I’m glad we at least see sense lol

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Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Hope the dog wasn't abused during it's capture.

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Not just their pets, but any wandering animal was up for grabs. Throw in rats or a fish washed up dead on the beach, starvation hurts.

"sir, the prisoner isn't talking. And he keeps pooping on the floor..."

Would love to know why Kadyrov gave Adik back. Seems very out of the norm for that POS. Adik too smart for him?

Fair chance they already do.

He's being Adik

I hope none of the returning soldiers need to go to hospital. I've heard the patients fall from windows quite often.

I've seen videos of WWII POWs. There was definitely more meat on a dog.

More value than russian command ever gonna give them

Sadly instead they gonna vent their frustration on civilians, as going after COs and politicians would get them killed by loyalists

Why not?

Lmao this took me tf ooouuuttt 😂😂

That dog was a member of the Nazi Azov battalion.

This dog is worth far more than some russians

Imagine being the Russian soldier or soldiers exchanged for a dog lol. That’s what your motherland thinks you are an equal trade for (happy for the pup though)

Tripaloski song started playing in my head.

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It's okay, my cat says they sniff assholes.

That picture still haunts me. It was from Bucha, if I remember correctly, and they found it in the yard of a home that held murdered civilian corpses. That was the day I lost all sympathy for any conscripted Russians.

And a raccoon from the Kherson Zoo. I expect that will probably be traded sometime this year.

The ones that did it for me was the video of a Russian sexually abusing an infant, then a photo of a raped and murdered body of a 3 year old girl.

Apparently the Russian murdered the infant after.

Proving to the world that Russians actively involved in committing atrocities or encourage such actions(excluding some of the brainwashed), are monsters; not human.

Oh my god. I never saw those. Thank God I didn’t.

I was surprised as well. The Russian soldiers are starving but aside from that, it's another tactic they use to horrify and terrorize, like rape.