Brief
Ukrainian forces lift wounded soldier out of frontline with heavy‑lift drone
The operation, carried out by the 92nd Assault Brigade, took about an hour and a quarter after a week of preparation.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Ukraine's 92nd Assault Brigade says it evacuated a wounded soldier from a contested front‑line position using a heavy‑lift aerial drone, an apparent world‑first, on Monday, October 20, 2026, according to CBS News.
The soldier, Konstantyn Vlasenko of the 30th Separate Brigade, had been stranded for almost 500 days in an area dense with mines and Russian drone activity. He was injured by a Russian drone earlier in the year and performed partial self‑amputations of both legs while awaiting rescue.
Ukrainian‑made Gurzuf Defence supplied a heavy hexacopter originally built as an attack drone. The company modified the platform to carry a human payload without flipping or swinging, testing the configuration before the mission. Four Ukrainian brigades participated in planning, which took seven days; the actual lift lasted about 1 hour 15 minutes and covered roughly 40 miles, with other drones deployed to distract Russian forces.
Gurzuf Defence co‑founder Pavlo Feldbloom told CBS News the drone was not designed exclusively for evacuation, but its modular, multi‑mission capability allowed the adaptation. He cautioned that aerial evacuation carries high risk and is unlikely to become routine, describing it as a “last resort” when no other option exists.
Prior to the aerial lift, a ground‑based rescue drone was attempted but was destroyed en route, according to the brigade’s statement.
Key facts
- The 92nd Assault Brigade used a Gurzuf Defence heavy‑lift hexacopter to evacuate a wounded soldier. (cbsnews.com)
- Soldier Konstantyn Vlasenko had been trapped for nearly 500 days in a mined, drone‑dense zone. (cbsnews.com)
- The rescue preparation lasted seven days; the flight took about 1 hour 15 minutes and covered 40 miles. (cbsnews.com)
- Gurzuf Defence co‑founder Pavlo Feldbloom said aerial evacuation is a high‑risk, last‑resort option. (cbsnews.com)
Sources
- [1] cbsnews.com — originally reported as “Ukraine's military evacuates wounded soldier with aerial drone in apparent world-first”
