A badly injured Ukrainian soldier has been airlifted by drone to safety from the frontline in what is thought to be the first evacuation of its kind. The infantryman, nicknamed Kostya, was hit in the eastern region of Kharkiv but could not be carried out by land because of mines and the Russian drone threat.
Drone escort and rescue mission
Commanders deployed a squadron of smaller drones to escort a much larger drone to take Kostya in a stunning rescue mission. Also included in the mission were specially adapted quad-copters armed with drop nets to land on enemy kamikaze drones if they attacked.
Earlier this year the Daily Mirror reported exclusively on a Ukrainian soldier being rescued by a ground drone from the frontline in Pokrovsk. But amazing film of a dramatic rescue operation by air reveals the 92 Separate Assault Brigade infantryman tying himself into the large drone.
Historic evacuation flight
Kostya was then whisked away on an incredible 11 mile journey back to safety away from the immediate fighting. The brigade's leader, callsign Napalm, was reported to have said in the Daily Mail: “This is a historic event; it marks the next stage in the evacuation of the wounded, which we will all eventually reach. Now the serious, systematic work begins to ensure that such missions take place on a regular basis.”
Describing Kostya, the drone commander added: "He was on his own at the position at the time, still carrying out his duties. He’s an incredibly strong person. We stayed in constant contact with him, supplying him with medicine and provisions. The hero agreed to go through with it. I don’t know what it must have been like there, hearing and seeing such a machine flying in."
Drone specifications and future impact
The Heavy Shot drone was made by Gurzuf Defence, which holds the Ukrainian record for its weight limit, lifting up to 20 stone in weight. This soldier weighs roughly 12.5 stone.
It is believed Ukrainian soldiers have been practising such rescues for some months, using heavy stones attached to the drone’s underbelly. In August The Mirror revealed how Ukraine had sent a ground drone to rescue two wounded frontline soldiers who had been hit by a Russian Kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicle.
The unnamed soldier’s agonising nightmare took several hours as an operator 15 miles away carefully controlled his drone to dodge mines and Russian troops. It is thought hundreds of troops are now being rescued by ground every month. But this latest breakthrough could signal a major change in the way soldiers are airlifted to safety.
