Ukrainian Brigade evacuates wounded soldier using heavy drone
Ukrainian military personnel evacuated a severely wounded soldier from a contested frontline position near Kupiansk using a heavily modified hexacopter drone, in an operation described by the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade as a world first.
Stalemate and Isolation Near the Oskil River
Vlasenko’s ordeal began in June of the prior year when he and another soldier from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade deployed to an observation post near Kupiansk on the left bank of the Oskil River in the Kharkiv region, Pravda reported. Rising floodwaters forced the pair out of their initial shelter into an abandoned building, where Russian forces targeted them with an uncrewed aerial vehicle attack that killed Vlasenko’s fifty-year-old companion on his birthday. Trapped in a contested zone flanked by the river and persistent mortar fire, Vlasenko could not escape across hostile airspace patrolled by enemy reconnaissance drones. While his unit supplied him with food and water via small bezpilotné lietadlá, ground rescue teams and uncrewed ground vehicles repeatedly failed to reach him due to dense minefields and enemy observation, according to Startitup.sk.
Droning Through No-Man’s-Land
The situation deteriorated further in April when another drone strike severed Vlasenko’s right foot above the ankle and severely damaged his left leg, leaving protruding bone that hindered his ability to crawl for supplies dropped by his comrades. Facing the threat of gangrene, Vlasenko used a dull meat can knife to amputate his own mangled lower left limb in May, Noviny.sk reported. Recognizing that traditional helicopter evacuation would result in the aircraft being shot down by Russian air defenses, the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade collaborated with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defence to engineer a heavy transport solution. The manufacturer provided a modified Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 hexacopter with a 130-kilogram payload capacity, equipping the six-rotor craft with a specialized winch to hoist a human passenger.
Hexacopter Extracts Vlasenko over 62 Kilometers
The rescue operation required extensive coordination across multiple Ukrainian military branches, including artillery units, electronic warfare specialists, and air defense teams deployed to distract enemy forces and suppress hostile surveillance. As dusk fell, the heavy hexacopter reached Vlasenko’s position and dropped climbing equipment alongside a mobile phone containing video instructions on how to secure himself to the suspension harness. According to Noviny.sk, the flight from the frontline lasted approximately one hour and 14 minutes, covering a distance of 62 kilometers with a single battery-swapping stop. Operator Napalm of the 92nd Brigade confirmed to Hromadske that the flight was relatively calm despite Vlasenko’s confessed anxiety over crossing water without knowing how to swim. Vlasenko was subsequently transferred to a military hospital in Kharkiv, where journalist Maria Malevská reported visiting him following multiple surgeries as he underwent rehabilitation.
Aerial Extraction Adapts to Denied Environments
Military analysts note that while tactical uncrewed systems are routinely deployed for reconnaissance, munitions delivery, and direct attack, utilizing heavy multirotors for casualty evacuation highlights an evolving adaptation to denied environments where land ambulances and ground vehicles cannot operate safely. Gurzuf Defence noted that aerial extraction remains an absolute last resort given the extreme risks posed to wounded personnel during transit. Meanwhile, another Ukrainian firm, Skyfall, has developed an alternative medevac platform featuring suspension stretchers and a medical cabin with a 150-kilogram capacity to meet ongoing military demands. Concurrently, diplomatic channels continue to address the broader conflict framework, with Reuters reporting scheduled high-level talks in Norway involving international stakeholders regarding the war’s trajectory.
