Astonishing footage has been released of a dog and a cat being flown by drone to safety on the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The four-legged friends were flown away on a mercy mission of almost eight miles by Ukrainian fighters who wanted to shield them from any attacks.

Food supplies had been flown in to soldiers of the 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade,defending Ukraine’s difficult frontline near Kupyansk,in the Kharkiv region.

On the return flight,they evacuated the two animals inside a bag – with the cat seeming unfazed and the dog seeming happy to be back on land.

A Ukrainian soldier spoke to the cat as he helped her out: ‘Ah,she is already purring,she is content.

‘Of course,she flew,she is very happy. We’ll give you food,some proper food to eat.’

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.The sweet animals are now safe in the care of soldiers (Picture: E2W)Animal welfare organisation UAnimals said of the daring flight: ‘Soldiers of the 14th Mechanised Brigade evacuated a cat and a dog from a position using a drone.‘Risky? Yes,but leaving them there was even more dangerous,and there was no other way to get them out. The cat and dog flew 12 kilometres — they are safe and now with the soldiers.‘We thank the defenders for saving the most vulnerable.’Ukraine was once home to about 750,000 dogs,including around 200,000 or so strays,and 5,500,000 cats in 2014,according to one estimate.Farmland has been cratered by Russian aggression,zoo animals have died of hunger and cold, and animal shelters have been bombed,killing volunteers and the furry friends they cared for.The cat began purring immediately after landing (Picture: E2W)On the frontlines,however,furry friends are bringing companionship to soldiers as they continue to defend their country.Metro previously spoke to Oleksandr Lyashuk,the owner of Puck the cat,who has become an internet star.Mr Lyashuk told Metro.co.uk: ‘That’s how you can find love. Someone didn’t need it,so they threw Puck on the street,but someone picked him up and found love.‘Wherever I go,he is always with me. If I know there is danger,I hide him in a safe place and wherever I go near danger,I don’t take him there.’Shortly after adopting Puck into their platoon,Mr Lyashuk began posting Puck in cute videos on TikTok and Instagram,before going viral.He’s since gained nearly 250,000 followers and millions of likes,and said of his content: ‘Ukrainians: even in difficult times,we will give you a smile.’Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .