On October 19, 2026, the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Ivan Sirko reported the evacuation of a wounded infantryman on a heavy aerial drone. The six-motor drone lifted the person from the position and transported him through the air. Ground robots could not reach him. The military calls the operation the first of its kind in the world; it is not yet possible to independently confirm global precedence.
Author: NAnews Editorial — NAnews
This is about 49-year-old Konstantin from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He was rescued in the Kupyansk direction — a section of the front in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine. The day of the operation is not named: reports about it are dated October 19.
Left alone and refused to surrender
Konstantin served at an observation post with a comrade. Russian military dropped ammunition from drones: the comrade was killed, Konstantin received severe injuries to both legs and remained at the position with traumatic amputations. Yet he continued to hold it.
According to the wounded, the enemy played a recording through a loudspeaker. They told him that his comrades would not come, offered to surrender, promised captivity, exchange, and return home. In response, Konstantin shouted the famous phrase about the Russian warship. After that, he claims, two more anti-tank mines were dropped on the position.
Attempts were made to evacuate him repeatedly, including with a ground robotic complex — a remotely controlled platform capable of transporting a person. But the area was mined, and Russian FPV drones — unmanned aerial vehicles with a camera, controlled by a pilot in real-time — constantly threatened the evacuation.
While preparing the rescue, Ukrainian drones delivered Konstantin water, food, betadine for wound treatment, antibiotics, and painkillers. Military doctor Vladimir Kupriyanchuk explained: thanks to treatment still at the position, it was possible to avoid suppuration and gangrene. Without this help, in his estimation, the fighter could have died.
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The drone was specially modified for a person
A heavy hexacopter “Ayudag-6” (Heavy Shot) from the Ukrainian company Gurzuf Defence was sent for Konstantin. A hexacopter is an aircraft with six rotors. The manufacturer provided the machine for free and, together with the military, modified the design so that the suspended person would not cause strong swaying and loss of stability in flight. Before the flight, the equipment was tested at the company’s sites.
A representative of Gurzuf Defence, Ivan, said that it was necessary to carry the person more than 15 kilometers — under the threat of attacks and electronic communication suppression.
The planning involved the 14th, 30th, and 92nd brigades and the 10th army corps. Artillerymen, electronic warfare units (including signal suppression), and air defense units assisted. The commander of the 14th brigade, Taras Maksimov, reported that the apparatus and specialists were provided by colleagues from the 92nd.
The operator was a serviceman of the 30th brigade with the call sign “Black.” The day before the flight, he recorded a video instruction for Konstantin: how to put on the equipment and secure himself on the drone.
There was no voice communication with the wounded during the landing. The operator saw him through the onboard camera. Konstantin fastened himself, showed a heart with his fingers — and the apparatus took off.
A military man from the 92nd brigade with the call sign “Vader” compared the scale of the cover to “Star Wars.” The flight was successfully completed.
What is happening with Konstantin now
In the Kharkiv military hospital, his condition was stabilized for several days, then several operations were performed. There is currently no threat to life; prosthetics and rehabilitation lie ahead.
Konstantin calls his rescuers his angels. The pilot, commanders, and representatives of the manufacturer visited him in the hospital. According to the fighter himself, the knowledge that his comrades did not abandon him helped him hold on.
Why this is important for Israel
For Israel, where the evacuation of the wounded also has to consider the threat of shelling and risk to rescuers, the Ukrainian experience deserves attention. But a single successful flight does not yet mean a ready system: permissible load, weather, communication stability, and route protection are important.
We wrote about why almost any movement on the Ukrainian front has become dangerous in the article “40 kilometers under the gun: how drones created a death zone on the front in Ukraine”.
On October 16, Associated Press reported on another Ukrainian evacuation drone, StarGate by SkyFall, undergoing testing. This device was not involved in Konstantin’s rescue.
The commander of the 10th corps, Artem Bogomolov, confirmed that such an evacuation was carried out in Ukraine for the first time, but did not claim that there were no analogs anywhere in the world. According to Bogomolov, dozens of specialists worked to save one person.
The material was prepared by the NAnews editorial team.
Primary source: official publication and video of the 92nd brigade.
Additional sources: Suspilne Kharkiv — stories of the fighter, pilot, doctors, and commanders; ArmyInform, October 19, 2026.