Ukrainian forces perform first combat drone rescue of wounded soldier

Ukrainian forces have conducted what is described as the world's first medical evacuation of a wounded soldier directly from the front line using a heavy hexacopter drone. The operation, involving the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade and the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, utilized a specialized unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by the Ukrainian company 'Gurzuf Defence' to extract the soldier from a heavily mined area under constant threat of enemy surveillance.

The rescued soldier, identified as 49-year-old Kostyantyn Vlasenko, spent 491 days on the front line in a dangerous combat zone. Due to the severity of his injuries and his isolation, Vlasenko was forced to perform an amputation on his own leg to survive. He lived in improvised shelters, relying on food and medicine dropped by drones, while maintaining contact with commanders via radio. The drone successfully transported him over a distance of 18 kilometers to reach safety.

While the specific date and exact location of the rescue were withheld by military authorities for operational security, the event marks a significant technical milestone in combat medicine. The story was brought to public attention through testimony provided to journalist Yuriy Butusov, highlighting the extreme conditions faced by troops in active conflict zones.