Camel Rescued From Overrun Russian Site as Ukraine Captures Unlikely POW, Video

Ukrainian troops have recorded the capture of a Bactrian camel from a Russian position on the eastern front, according to footage widely shared on October 28.

The animal was seen led behind a pickup truck as Ukrainian soldiers worked on a damaged M113 armored personnel carrier; Israel Hayom the outlet said the unit that posted the video stated the camel was taken after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian-held site and found the animal wandering nearby. 

The incident follows months of reporting that Russian units have resorted to using pack animals to move ammunition and supplies under persistent drone and artillery threat.

Previously the Times quoted retired Russian general and State Duma defense committee member Viktor Sobolev defending the practice: “If some methods such as donkeys, horses, and so on are used to deliver ammunition and other supplies to the front line, this is normal.”

Israel Hayom noted that two-humped Bactrian camels—domesticated in Central Asia and adapted to severe cold—can carry substantial loads, a trait likely attractive to units operating through mined terrain and under drone observation. 

Earlier, it was reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense was supplying donkeys to frontline units to carry ammunition and supplies as a substitute for lost vehicles.

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