Ukrainian troops rescue double amputee from front line using heavy drone

The soldier, identified as Kostiantyn, was serving with Ukraine's 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade when Russian drone attacks killed his fellow soldier and left him alone at an observation post.

According to Ukraine's Northern Region Military Medical Clinical Center, Kostiantyn lost his right leg in April. In May, he amputated his severely injured left leg himself after an exposed bone prevented him from crawling to collect food, water and medical supplies dropped by fellow troops.

"I had a blunt knife that I'd previously used to open canned meat," he told journalist Mariia Malevska of Vikna Novyny.

Repeated attempts to evacuate him failed because the surrounding area was mined and Russian FPV drones made ground operations too dangerous.

Personnel from the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, working with the 30th and 14th mechanized brigades, the 10th Army Corps and Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defence, developed an alternative: lifting the wounded soldier out by air.

Gurzuf Defence provided a heavy hexacopter free of charge. Engineers and military specialists modified it to maintain stability while carrying a person, preventing excessive swinging or overturning. The team then tested the system before carrying out the mission.

The drone flew to Kostiantyn's position, where he attached himself to it using specially supplied equipment. An operator from the 30th Brigade, known by the callsign Chornyi, piloted the aircraft.

"We sent our comrade special equipment and recorded a video explaining how to use it," Chornyi said. "I'm very happy it worked. The operation was carefully planned, and a lot of people were involved."

A member of the 92nd Brigade's unmanned ground systems company, known by the callsign Napalm, described the rescue as a breakthrough in battlefield medical evacuation.

"This was an extremely difficult operation, but it succeeded," he said. "It's a historic event, the next stage of casualty evacuation that we'll all eventually reach."

The 92nd Brigade described the mission as the world's first evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone. That claim has not been independently verified.

Kostiantyn is now receiving treatment and rehabilitation. According to the Ukrainian military, his life is no longer in danger.

Ukraine has been developing aerial systems capable of carrying wounded personnel as increasingly dense minefields and Russian drone surveillance make conventional evacuations more dangerous. The Associated Press recently reported on the StarGate evacuation drone developed by Ukrainian manufacturer SkyFall.