Ukrainian soldier Kostiantyn Vlasenko spent nearly 500 days at a frontline position — alone, severely wounded, and cut off from his comrades. In October, his comrades managed to extract him using an unconventional method: a large cargo drone. According to tagesschau, this is the first known case of a person being evacuated from the front line by drone.
Alone at the position after the death of a comrade
In February, during a Russian drone attack, Vlasenko's only comrade at the position was killed, and he himself sustained severe injuries. In an interview with ARD, the soldier explained that he survived only because he amputated both of his own legs: his left leg became necrotic in April due to numerous shrapnel wounds, and he amputated his right leg in May because it hindered his movement.
Vlasenko hid in the ruins of a building. Water, food, medicine, and even his favorite book were delivered to him by unit drones. He said the hardest part was the passage of time: it felt like hours had passed while recalling his childhood, wife, and child, but the clock showed only a minute.
Flight over the Oskil River at an altitude of 100 meters
The operation was prepared over two months in collaboration with the Ukrainian defense manufacturer Gurzuv Defence. The company produces heavy drones typically used to strike targets, conduct reconnaissance, or transport cargo. This time, the drone lifted a person for the first time.
The route, spanning over 16 kilometers, passed through a zone of constant fighting where dozens of enemy drones patrol the skies, said the manufacturer's spokesperson, Ivan. The flight lasted about 15 minutes. Footage from the unit shows Vlasenko, strapped in, flying beneath the drone at an altitude of approximately 100 meters.
"I held on fairly well. But when I saw the Oskil River and realized I had to fly over it, I thought: I can't swim," the soldier recalled. His comrades joked: what if you had fallen into the forest? Would you have just gotten up and walked away?
Rehabilitation and family lie ahead
Vlasenko now faces a long rehabilitation period. His greatest regret is missing his only daughter's wedding when he went to war, and he wants to make up for the lost time with his family.
The manufacturer says it is already planning new drone evacuation missions. If the technology proves successful, it could save wounded personnel in areas inaccessible to ground vehicles and medics.
Based on materials from tagesschau.de (ARD, 26.10.2026).