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Ukraine war latest: Ukraine evacuates wounded soldier from front line by drone for first time, military says

Updated 3:11 PM ET · 2:29 PM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: France 24 (France) and Kyivindependent (Ukraine) reported that Ukraine has used an aerial drone to evacuate a wounded soldier from the front line, a first-of-its-kind operation.

According to France 24 (France), the soldier was rescued using an Ayudag-6 hexacopter drone, which brought him to a safer position where he was met by comrades and then evacuated to a hospital.

Kyivindependent (Ukraine) reported that the soldier had been stranded for 500 days and was sustained by drone deliveries of food, water, ammunition, and medicine before he was seriously wounded.

The News International (Pakistan) reported that the rescue occurred shortly after Ukraine began front-line testing of StarGate, its first aerial drone designed to evacuate wounded soldiers from dangerous areas.

France 24 (France) noted that the operation was successful, and the soldier's life is no longer in danger. The drone unit of Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade described the operation as a 'world first'.

Kyivindependent (Ukraine) reported that the soldier, Kostiantyn, serves with the 30th Mechanized Brigade and had been stranded at a position in the Kupiansk area of the Kharkiv region after a Russian attack killed the soldier stationed there with him.

The News International (Pakistan) quoted Napalm, a squad commander and programmer with the 92nd Brigade’s unmanned ground systems company, who stated, “This is a historic event, at least for our unit.”

BBC (United Kingdom) reported that Russian drones hit a weapons depot near Kyiv, killing 37 people and evacuating almost 400 others.

Kyivindependent (Ukraine) reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces targeted energy facilities in 11 oblasts across Ukraine.

All outlets agreed that Ukraine has successfully used an aerial drone to evacuate a wounded soldier from the front line for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing conflict.

This report adds details about the soldier's prolonged isolation and the specific drone model used, which were not previously covered in the BACKGROUND.

Background

What's confirmed

• Ukraine has rescued a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone, a Ukrainian army brigade said on Monday, describing the evacuation as the first of its kind.
• Ukraine has long used unmanned ground vehicles to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield, but this was the first reported instance of an aerial drone being used for the same purpose.
• The soldier, 49-year-old Kostiantyn, serves with the 30th Mechanized Brigade and had been stranded at a position in the Kupiansk area of the Kharkiv region after a Russian attack killed the soldier stationed there with him.
• Ukraine has begun front-line testing of StarGate, its first aerial drone designed to evacuate wounded soldiers from areas too dangerous for conventional vehicles or evacuation teams, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Octobe 16.
• “Covering 10 kilometers in minutes would be a drastic change on the front line,” KVN, a commander with Code 9.2, told AP.

What's still developing

• Ukraine and Russia are nearing an agreement on the final details of civilian evacuation from the front-line town of Oleshky and nearby settlements in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Oct. 18.
• “It will be a difficult drilling operation and will take some time," he told broadcaster CNBC-e.
• The extensive use of combat drones by both sides has turned the battlefield into what military analysts have described as a "kill zone" where neither side has a clear advantage.
• "Any attempt to reach him would have meant a deadly risk for the rescue team," it said.
• Russian strike on weapons depot killed dozens as ammunition left scattered in the streets The office of Ukraine's prosecutor general earlier said it was reviewing the "legality of the placement and storage of explosive objects and materials" near residential buildings in Myla.
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called on partners to hold firm, saying: "We are now telling our partners that they should not give in to all this Russian blackmail." Kyiv characterised Moscow's public statements as "rhetoric." Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering a conflict that has since become the deadliest in Europe since World War II.
• “We are responding to Russia’s daily terrorist strikes – effectively and practically across its entire map,” Mr Zelensky wrote on X alongside footage of the attacks.
• The Institute for the Study of War said Putin’s “understanding of the war is, in fact, severely distorted by the Russian military's systematic lying, which is emboldening Putin to insist on his maximalist demands”.
• This was reported by Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, on his official Telegram channel on July 14.
• "These strikes are a direct threat to the safety of international shipping, freedom of maritime navigation, and global food security," the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority stated.

Sources

• France24link
• Kyivindependentlink
• Lavocedinewyorklink
• Newsweeklink
• The News Internationallink
• United24Medialink
• Kyivindependentlink
• BBClink
• Turkiyetodaylink
• Intellinewslink
• Wswslink
• Independentlink
• United24Medialink
• WarpBeat — background on Ukraine Uses Drone to Evacuate Wounded Soldier for First Time link
• CNN — video link