Ukraine has shared video of what it claims is the world’s first evacuation of an injured soldier from active combat by drone, according to the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade.
The mission, shared Monday, shows an unidentified infantryman strapping into a large hexacopter and being flown over territory to a landing zone, where drone operators greeted him with “Welcome back to the ground!” The brigade said the soldier was wounded at his position and that “intense enemy drone activity and the presence of landmines” made conventional evacuation impossible.
“At that point, the specialists in our unit took it upon themselves to attempt something that had never been done before: evacuating a serviceman using an aerial drone,” the brigade stated. The craft was a heavy-lift hexacopter originally designed as a bomber by a Ukrainian manufacturer, appearing roughly twice the size of the soldier in the video.
According to the unit, specialists had to ensure the drone could carry a human being without flipping or swaying excessively. A squad leader and programmer identified by his call sign, Napalm, called the soldier a “hero” for agreeing to the mission “having seen and heard the kind of machine that had arrived to get him.” The rescued soldier is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation.
Ukraine’s Ground Forces said in a separate statement that its drone units are conducting operations “that were recently considered science fiction.” The conflict has increasingly become a technological arms race, with both Ukraine and Russia using drones to reduce casualties. Ukraine has faced a severe shortage of manpower while trying to ramp up recruitment.
The timing of the evacuation coincides with tension between Kyiv and Washington over U.S. support. According to the source, Ukraine has faced pressure from the U.S. to halt strikes on Russian oil sites after President Donald Trump signed a diesel deal with the Kremlin. Kyiv has also reported gaps in intelligence sharing and restrictions on Elon Musk’s Starlink service, which is crucial for drone missions and battlefield communications.
Days before the evacuation, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi announced the Ukrainian government had approved an “experimental project” to use drones for medical logistics. Koretskyi said drones would carry medicines, medical products, blood samples, and donor organs between hospitals, with flights requiring military coordination and special aerial identification. “During the war, moving medical cargo by road can cost critical time, especially for transplants,” he said.
Key facts
- The 92nd Separate Assault Brigade released video of what Ukraine claims is the first drone evacuation of a wounded soldier from active combat
- A heavy-lift hexacopter, originally designed as a bomber, was used to rescue the infantryman when conventional evacuation was blocked by enemy drone activity and landmines
- The rescued soldier is undergoing treatment and rehabilitation
- Ukraine announced an experimental project to use drones for medical logistics, transporting medicines, blood samples, and donor organs between hospitals
- Kyiv has faced U.S. pressure to halt strikes on Russian oil sites and reported restrictions on Starlink service critical for drone operations