Ukraine has shared a video showing what it says is the world’s first evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front lines by drone.
This “historic” mission comes at a time when kyiv faces a disastrous turning point in its relations with Washington due to the withdrawal of its support in its fight against Russia.
Shared Monday by the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, the video shows the soldier strapping on to a large drone and flying at what appears to be a relatively low altitude over unclear territory. The drone carefully lowers it and the drone operator greets it with “Welcome to the ground!” » The video also showed the blurred faces of the drone operators carrying out the mission.
The message indicates that the unidentified infantryman was injured while at his position. “Due to intense enemy drone activity and the presence of landmines, evacuation using conventional unmanned ground vehicles was impossible,” the brigade said.
“At that moment, the specialists of our unit decided to try something that had never been done before: evacuate a soldier using an aerial drone,” the press release added.
The machine used was a heavy hexacopter, originally designed as a bomber by a Ukrainian manufacturer. He’s about twice the size of the soldier in the video.
Specialists working on the mission had to ensure the drone could carry a human without turning or swinging excessively, according to the unit.
The rescued soldier is currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, the brigade added. The brigade’s squad leader and programmer, identified only by his call sign Napalm, called the soldier a “hero” for accepting the mission, “having seen and heard the kind of machine that had arrived to pick him up.”
In a separate statement, Ukraine’s ground forces said its drone units were already carrying out operations “that have recently been considered science fiction.”
The war has increasingly become a technological arms race, with Ukraine and Russia relying on drones to reduce casualties.
The conflict has taken a heavy toll on both armies, although neither side reports updated figures on those killed, injured or missing. Ukraine, in particular, is facing a severe labor shortage as it attempts to ramp up recruitment.
Ukraine made a major breakthrough in drone technology this year, allowing it to limit Russian logistics in the occupied territories and strike deeper inside Russia to target Russian oil refineries, commercial warehouses and data centers.
“This mission once again proves that the Ukrainian military, working in tandem with Ukrainian manufacturers, sets global trends in the conduct of war,” the brigade statement added.
Although it hoped its drone innovation would give it the edge at the negotiating table, kyiv faced pressure from the United States to end its strikes on Russian oil sites after President Donald Trump signed a diesel deal with the Kremlin earlier this month.
Kyiv has since also reported gaps in intelligence sharing and restrictions on Elon Musk’s Starlink service, crucial for its drone missions, battlefield communications and air defense.
The drone evacuation comes just days after Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced that the Ukrainian government had approved an “experimental project” to use drones for medical logistics. Koretskyi said the flights would require coordination with the military and that the drones would have special status and be identifiable in the air.
“During war, transporting medical goods by road can take considerable time, especially for transplants,” he said. “Drones will be able to transport medicines, medical products, blood samples and donor organs between hospitals, including from remote areas. »
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