Ukraine Makes Historic Drone Rescue of Soldier
Ukraine’s military has achieved a remarkable milestone by conducting a front-line medical evacuation using an aerial drone. This action marks a significant first for Ukraine, known for its proficient use of drones.
The 92nd Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces announced that it successfully evacuated a wounded soldier from the battlefield. The operation utilized a heavy-lift drone.
For close to 500 days, soldier Konstantyn Vlasenko from the 30th Separate Brigade remained stranded, inaccessible to traditional Ukrainian forces due to heavy mining and Russian drone presence, according to Ukrainian media aligned with the military.
Reports detailed that earlier this year, Vlasenko sustained injuries from a Russian drone strike while isolated. This led him to partially amputate both legs in desperation for rescue.
The rescue mission employed a Ukrainian-manufactured Gurzuf Defence heavy hexacopter, initially designed for offensive operations against Russian targets. The hexacopter was supplied freely to the military, according to the 92nd Brigade’s statement.
The aerial drone was reconfigured to safely carry a person without mishaps, with specialists collaborating to ensure functionality. Testing was completed before initiating the rescue.
The rescue operation required the involvement of four different Ukrainian brigades and took seven days to plan, although the actual evacuation lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. During the rescue, the drone covered approximately 40 miles, with additional drones deployed to divert Russian forces.
The Ukrainian Ground Forces’ 92nd Assault Brigade shared video evidence illustrating the evacuation process.
Pavlo Feldbloom, co-founder of Gurzuf Defence, commented on the development process. He stated that the company initially did not focus exclusively on creating evacuation platforms, instead designing a robust, modular drone capable of multi-functional missions.
We recognized the potential of our drone’s payload capacity in rescue missions. Yet, we remain cautious about the routine use of aerial evacuation due to inherent risks for the injured.
According to Feldbloom, aerial transport serves as a final option, used only when no other means exist to save a life.
An earlier attempt to rescue Vlasenko using a ground drone faced challenges, as noted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces 2nd Mechanized Battalion, resulting in its destruction en route.
Once Vlasenko safely landed, he described his journey as peaceful and expressed relief at being in friendly territory.