Ukraine Brigade Says Heavy Drone Evacuated Wounded Soldier

Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade says it evacuated a wounded soldier from a frontline position using a modified heavy drone, after mines and enemy drone activity made a ground rescue unsafe. The brigade said the soldier survived and is receiving treatment and rehabilitation. Its public account describes the operation as a first, a claim not independently established by the available information. Footage released by the brigade shows the soldier fastening himself to a carrier or winch beneath a six-rotor aircraft. The drone lifts him into the air and transports him away from the position. According to the brigade, the soldier belonged to the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and an operator from that unit flew the mission. The 92nd said other troops met him after the flight and arranged the next stage of his evacuation to a hospital. The brigade said its specialists worked with Ukrainian drone maker Gurzuf Defence to modify and test the aircraft for carrying a person. The unmanned ground vehicles normally used to evacuate wounded personnel could not reach the soldier safely because of mined approaches and activity by enemy drones, the brigade said. The aircraft was...