Ukraine conducts ‘historic’ drone evacuation of wounded soldier

Ukraine’s airlift of the soldier from the front line by drone is believed to be the first ever operation of its kind. A heavy drone carries a wounded Ukrainian soldier in an image from a video released by the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade on Oct. 19, 2026. Ukraine’s airlift of the soldier from the front line by drone is believed to be the first ever operation of its kind. (Courtesy of Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade) Ukraine’s military says it used a modified large drone with six rotors to evacuate a wounded soldier from the front line in what it called a unique mission that made history. In a video posted Monday by the Ukrainian Ground Forces, the soldier can be seen strapping himself into a carrier attached to the drone before being flown to an evacuation point.

The post did not give the date or exact location of the evacuation. “This is a historic event — the next stage in evacuating the wounded,” said an unidentified squad leader and programmer with the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade’s Unmanned Ground Systems Company, which helped prepare the drone. Ukraine’s military has said that it frequently evacuates wounded personnel using ground-based robotic vehicles. But Monday’s statement said such an operation was impossible because of intense drone activity and mined terrain in the area.