An extraordinary rescue of a wounded soldier has taken place on the Siversk front. The 4th Battalion of the Freedom Force of the Rubizh National Guard brigade has managed to save one of its own soldiers by using a drone to airdrop an electric bike to a surrounded position. 

Source:4th Battalion, as reported by Mezha Media, a technology and IT news platform within Ukrainska Pravda's holding company

Details:The soldier from the 4th Freedom Force Battalion known as "Tankist" had lost three brothers-in-arms, was unable to evacuate from his position and was fighting alone against the Russians. For five days he held his ground, repelling attacks while wounded.

The distance to friendly positions was one and a half kilometres, and Tankist couldn’t reach them due to constant attacks. He faced repeated assaults by the Russian infantry, but the Freedom Force battalion’s drones provided aerial cover, preventing the Russians from closing in. Military command recorded Tankist eliminating approximately one infantry detachment.

To rescue the soldier, a heavy multicopter was tasked with delivering a 40-kilo electric bike to his position – a challenging feat for the battalion.

The first drone carrying the bike was shot down, the second couldn’t handle the load and crashed, but the third attempt, learning from prior failures, succeeded – the drone delivered the electric bike and dropped it to Tankist.

The soldier managed to leave his position, but 400 metres away from the Ukrainian line, the electric bike hit a mine, triggering an explosion. The soldier survived, though wounded in the leg, and reached his brothers-in-arms on foot, aided by another electric bike.

Background:Ukrainian forces have begun carrying out drone-assisted rescues, including one where the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard conducted a successful operation to evacuate a wounded soldier using a Tarhan ground robotic system.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon !