Ukrainian soldier evacuated from grey zone by heavy drone in a world first
In October, Ukrainian forces carried out the first medical evacuation of a wounded soldier by heavy drone, using a Heavy Shot Ayudag-6. He had been stranded in the grey zone on the Kupiansk front for 491 days.
Ukraine's defence forces carried out the first medical evacuation using a heavy unmanned aerial vehicle in October. A wounded infantryman of the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade, known by the alias Magura, was lifted out of the grey zone, the contested territory between the two sides' positions on the Kupiansk front, by a Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 drone. For over a year no evacuation vehicle had been able to reach the area, as the roads are heavily mined and Russian FPV drones destroy anything moving across tens of kilometres.
A long wait
Kostiantyn Vlasenko, alias Magura, set off with a fellow soldier on 2 June 2025 for positions on the left bank of the Oskil River. His comrade was killed on the way to a fallback position. On 14 February 2026 a munition dropped by a Russian drone wounded Magura in both legs; he had lost one foot and amputated the other himself. A ground robot sent to retrieve him was spotted and destroyed, and infantry groups could not reach him. Every four to five days drones delivered food and cigarettes, and he kept in contact by walkie-talkie. He held out until the evacuation on 4 October.
Preparing the operation
The idea of an aerial evacuation came from Alex, the battalion's reconnaissance chief. It took about six months to go from concept to flight. Standard Heavy Shot bomber drones were not suitable, so the unit used the new Ayudag-6, which can carry up to 130 kg and has a cargo winch. Developer Gurzuf Defence designed it mainly for frontline logistics. Around 15 personnel took part in planning, and pre-flight preparation took seven days. The day before, a drone delivered mountaineering equipment and a phone with a video showing the soldier how to secure himself.
The flight
The route was 16 km. Vampire heavy bomber drones flew into neighbouring sectors as a diversion; one was shot down, but the evacuation drone went unnoticed. Starlink provided communications, and artillery of the 10th Army Corps fired on identified Russian drone launch points. The flight took under an hour and a half, with batteries changed en route. A Peacemaker ground robot then carried the soldier another 8 km, after which a vehicle took him to a stabilisation point for emergency surgery.
