Ukraine says a heavy drone evacuated a wounded soldier from a mined front line

A drone rescue from a mined zone

Ukrainian forces published footage by 20 October 2026 showing a seriously wounded soldier lifted from a front-line position by a heavy transport drone. The army presents the operation as the first of its kind in the world. The soldier served in the 30th Mechanized Brigade and was stuck on the left bank of the Oskil river near Kupiansk in Kharkiv oblast. Ground evacuation was ruled out because the approaches were mined and Russian drones were active over the area, so the army chose an aerial lift.

The video shows the drone setting down beside him. He fastened himself to a lifting harness, was carried to a secure zone and was taken over by other soldiers there. Applause broke out in the control room once the operation was complete.

The soldier's ordeal

Accounts differ on how long he was stranded. Ziare puts it at 491 days, while De Morgen and 7sur7 describe close to 500 days. According to Rzeczpospolita, he was wounded in a Russian drone attack and lost one leg, then amputated the other himself once gangrene set in. A French-language report describes partial amputations of both legs, and Ziare reports the amputation of both lower limbs. His comrade had been killed, and earlier attempts to reach him over land had failed. Ziare reports that a robotic ground vehicle sent toward him was detected and destroyed by Russian forces before it arrived. Fellow soldiers stayed in contact and supplied him with medicine and provisions, according to a Ukrainian drone operator who goes by Noir, quoted by 7sur7.

How the flight was prepared

The aircraft is an Ayudag-6 hexacopter made by Gurzuf Defence, which was originally developed to carry bombs. Rzeczpospolita reports that soldiers of the 92nd Assault Brigade worked with company representatives to modify it so it could carry a person with less swaying. Units from the 10th Army Corps and the 14th Mechanized Brigade also took part. Preparation took seven days according to 7sur7 and De Morgen, while Ziare reports more than six months. SIC Notícias gives the drone's payload as up to 135 kilograms, its range as 25 kilometres and its operating altitude as 150 to 300 metres. The flight lasted about one hour and 15 minutes. The manufacturer puts it at one hour, 14 minutes and 36 seconds, and the distance flown is reported as between 62 and 65 kilometres depending on the outlet. Other drones were used to divert Russian attention during the operation.

Doubts and what comes next

Watson.ch notes that Kyiv's claim of a world first cannot be independently verified. As De Morgen reports, Gurzuf Defence co-founder Pavlo Feldbloom told CBS News that the drone was built as a general-purpose platform rather than an evacuation craft, and the company does not expect such flights to become routine. The company warns that a wounded person hangs unprotected beneath a relatively large drone that stays exposed to gunfire and electronic jamming, so air evacuation should be a last resort. According to watson.ch, the army says the soldier has received medical care and is no longer in danger. Rai News reports that drones are also used to resupply front-line positions, and that a remotely driven ground vehicle brought an elderly woman with limited mobility out of Lyman.