ConfirmedConflict · Ukraine

Injured Ukrainian soldier rescued in first-ever drone evacuation mission

First reported 2026-10-19 15:44 UTC · Updated 2026-10-20 00:32 UTC · 4 independent sources

What happened

Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade used an aerial drone to lift an injured soldier from the front line, calling it the first mission of its kind.

The brigade said a ground rescue was impossible because the serviceman was surrounded by landmines and Russian drone activity was high.

Footage shows the soldier attaching himself to a winch beneath an Ayudag-6 hexacopter before it lifted him away, according to the brigade.

The drone unit said the soldier is receiving medical care and rehabilitation and is no longer in danger.

Gurzuf Defence said the drone took him to a safer position, where comrades transferred him for evacuation to hospital.

BBC Verify said it confirmed the identities of personnel in the footage and found no signs of AI generation or manipulation.

Summary written by AI from 3 independent sources (France 24, BBC, ABC) and checked automatically against them for copied text and numbers that are not in the sources. How we work

Open on the live globe →

Who reported it

  1. 2026-10-19 15:44 UTCFrance 24 · france24.com ↗
  2. 2026-10-19 20:00 UTCBBC · bbc.co.uk ↗
  3. 2026-10-19 20:49 UTCAl Jazeera · aljazeera.com ↗
  4. 2026-10-20 00:32 UTCABC · abc.net.au ↗

More from Ukraine

All events in Ukraine →