Ukrainian troops used a heavy drone to airlift a wounded soldier from a frontline position where mines and Russian drone activity prevented a rescue by ground, in what the military described as the world’s first such battlefield evacuation.
The operation, announced on October 19, 2026, involved a six-rotor Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 drone built by Ukrainian manufacturer Gurzuf Defence. The soldier is receiving treatment and rehabilitation and will live, according to the military.
The badly wounded infantryman served with the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Specialists from the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade worked with Gurzuf to adapt the drone for the rescue, testing changes intended to prevent it from tipping or swaying excessively while carrying a person.
Gurzuf said equipment with attachment clips was delivered to the soldier before the aircraft arrived with a winch. Following instructions from fellow soldiers who remained in contact with him, he secured himself to the evacuation equipment.
A drone operator from the 30th Brigade then flew him to safety, where troops met him and arranged further evacuation to a hospital.
The manufacturer said the mission lasted about 75 minutes and covered 62 kilometers, or roughly 39 miles.
Local outlet Gwara Media, citing the Kharkiv military hospital, identified the soldier as Kostiantyn, 49, and placed the rescue in the Kupiansk sector. Its account said he had lost both legs and remained at his position after a fellow soldier was killed.
His unit supplied him with food, water and medicine with drone drops while repeated attempts to evacuate him failed.
Before the rescue, the drone pilot recorded a video showing Kostiantyn how to secure himself to the aircraft’s evacuation equipment and gave it to him. The pilot said the onboard camera showed the soldier following those instructions and making a heart gesture with his fingers.
Kostiantyn now faces rehabilitation and prosthetic leg fittings, according to the hospital’s account.
The military and manufacturer have described the operation as a world first, although that claim has not been independently verified. The mission’s date has not been disclosed.
An account of the rescue quoting 10th Army Corps commander Artem Bohomolov said he could confirm it was a first for Ukraine but could not say whether similar operations had taken place elsewhere.
Unmanned aircraft have previously demonstrated casualty evacuation. Lockheed Martin announced a rescue demonstration using an unmanned K-MAX helicopter in 2015, and the US Army documented another demonstration involving a simulated casualty in 2016.
Gurzuf co-founder Pavlo Feldblium cautioned against treating the successful rescue as evidence that aerial drone evacuations could become routine. He said the risks to wounded soldiers remained high and each mission would require preparation for the particular location and circumstances.
For now, he said, evacuation by air is a last resort when there is no other way to save someone.