Moment another wounded Ukrainian soldier is airlifted to safety by drone as Kyiv establishes dedicated aerial medical squad

Footage shows Artem Lytvyn, whose call sign is 'Kolobok', crawling on his knees towards a heavy-lift drone before being flown above the trees to safety. The wounded soldier had been stranded for several days after stepping on a magnetic mine while escorting a fellow soldier to a position.

The rescue comes as Ukraine's Code 9.2 regiment establishes a dedicated aerial drone evacuation unit to rescue critically wounded soldiers from areas inaccessible by ground. Lytvyn had to amputate his own leg before his evacuation.

Rapid evacuation

Attempts to evacuate Lytvyn using ground drones proved impossible because of the risk to rescue teams. With his chances of survival dwindling, the regiment deployed StarGate at the request of Code 9.2's commander.

Bleeding heavily, Lytvyn crawled towards the drone and climbed into a specially designed protective stretcher before being lifted into the air. The drone carried him above the treeline at speeds comparable to a car.

The operation completed in 30 minutes a journey that would take assault troops around a week on foot, according to Anton Gerashchenko, former Ukrainian deputy interior minister who shared the footage. Within two hours, Lytvyn had reached a stabilization point.

Historic rescue

The rescue follows another extraordinary evacuation of Ukrainian soldier Kostiantyn Vlasenko who lost both legs while stranded behind enemy lines. After enduring 491 days in the kill zone, Vlasenko was forced to amputate his right leg with a blunt knife after losing his left to frostbite.

The Ukrainian infantryman had been alone, hiding within a cast-iron furnace in an abandoned school, after his only comrade, callsign 'Baski', had been killed by a Russian drone. The sky above their position in the Kharkiv region was saturated with enemy aircraft, making evacuation impossible.

Innovative approach

For Vlasenko's rescue, Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade sent a heavily modified bomber drone to his position in Petropavlivka to carry out the first unmanned aerial evacuation of a wounded serviceman in military history. The drone dropped a sealed bag containing equipment and instructions.

Footage shows Vlasenko strapping himself to the drone's underbelly, giving a thumbs up to its camera before it rises 400ft in the air and flies him 11 miles to safety. The operation was flanked by a fleet of three Vampire drones to fight off Russian forces.

Code 9.2's drone evacuation unit has now conducted four successful aerial evacuations of severely wounded soldiers. Each operation is supported by aerial reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems to help rescuers reach casualties in otherwise inaccessible locations.