Russian troops 'lured into booby-traps' with cat noises in latest Ukrainian war trick

Leonid Otdelnov, the commander of a mine-clearing unit said: “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.”

The commander said the incidents occurred when troops entered buildings in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, however he did not confirm if any soldiers had been killed as a result of the booby traps.

Russia is one of the world’s most cat-loving country, with 59 per cent of people owning a cat, according to research done by Dalia Research.

Some of these cats have even been used in Russia’s war effort against Ukraine, with pro-war activists claiming cats were being brought to trenches to deal with rats and other rodents.

Speaking on national television, Vladimir Maligyn, the head of a pro-Kremlin group said: “Our cats are used to catch mice and calm soldiers down.”

This is not the first time cats have been used in war - they were also used in WWI and World War Two to boost morale and help with pests.

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Russian troops are said to be suffering from an infection called Weil’s disease, or “rat-bite fever”, and Ukrainian soldiers say mice have also been an issue, chewing through wires and raiding food stores.

According to animal welfare groups, millions of pets have been abandoned in Ukraine by people fleeing the war. At the same time, the wild animal population has increased, due to a wartime ban on hunting.

The fox population has reportedly more than doubled since the start of Russia’s invasion, and locals say wolves are also becoming more common. The war has also led to an increase in rabies cases.

The booby-trap allegations come as US President Donald Trump said that 700,000 Ukrainian soldiers and almost one million Russian soldiers have been killed since the start of the bloody conflict.

Trump did not provide sources for these numbers, which are much higher than previous estimates - including his own.

Last month he alleged that 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 600,000 Russian soldiers had died.

Russian opposition journalists have identified around 90,000 Russian soldiers who have been killed during the war, although they say the true number is probably higher.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said last November that 700,000 Russian soldiers had died or been injured during the conflict.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said in December that 43,000 of his soldiers had been killed.