For the first time in history, a wounded soldier was evacuated by drone

The Armed Forces of Ukraine evacuated a wounded soldier stranded on the front line using a heavy-lift drone. This was one of the first such operations recorded during the war. This was reported by Reuters.

49-year-old Konstantin Vlasenko was sent to a position in the Kupyansk direction of the Kharkiv region in June 2025. He had been stranded in the area near the front for nearly 500 days. Due to Russian drones and mined roads, extracting him by traditional means was extremely dangerous.

The serviceman sustained severe injuries to both legs as a result of a drone attack. He stated that as his condition worsened, he was forced to amputate parts of his legs himself.

A heavy-lift drone capable of carrying up to 90 kilograms was used to rescue him. Vlasenko was secured to the drone using a special device and transported to a safe area approximately 15 kilometers away. The flight lasted about 15 minutes.

The rescue plan was meticulously developed prior to the operation. Other unmanned aerial vehicles were also deployed to ensure the drone's safe passage. Once Vlasenko was delivered to the safe zone, he was taken to a hospital. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation at a medical facility in Kharkiv.

This incident demonstrated that heavy-lift drones can also be used to save human lives on the battlefield in situations where traditional evacuation is impossible.