KYIV: Ukraine rescued a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone, an army spokesperson said on Monday, describing the evacuation as the “first of its kind”.

The army published a video showing the drone lowering itself to the ground, before a man in combat gear fastens himself to a winch onboard and is lifted upwards.

The army did not say where the evacuation took place.

“The operation was successful. The wounded person was saved. He is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is no longer in danger,” the drone unit of Ukraine’s military said on Facebook.

The drone’s manufacturer, Gurzuf Defence, said the man had spent over a year in a dangerous combat position and was unable to be rescued by conventional means.

“Any attempt to reach him would have meant a deadly risk for the rescue team,” it said.

The drone, an Ayudag-6 hexacopter, “brought the wounded man to a safer position, where he was met by comrades who arranged for his onward evacuation to a hospital”, it added.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2026