- Two Ukrainian soldiers were rescued after hiding for 18 months in Russian-occupied territory.
- They were able to hide with the help of locals, Ukraine's Navy said in a Facebook post.
Ukraine's special forces successfully rescued two paratroopers who had been hiding for over a year and a half in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Ukraine's Navy said in a Facebook post.
The paratroopers had been "seriously injured" while fighting Russian forces, but they managed to evade capture by hiding with the help of local communities, the post said.
The two servicemen were successfully removed from the occupied territory and returend to the safety of Ukrainian-controlled regions.
"Every life is important," the Ukrainian Navy said in the post, which included a video of soldiers hugging each other.
"A decision was made to conduct a special operation to rescue and evacuate the servicemen, the preparation and conduct of which was entrusted to the special unit of the Navy "Angels," the post says.
"Thanks to joint efforts, two servicemen who had been in the occupied territory for more than a year and a half have recently been brought to the territory controlled by Ukraine," it adds.
Units from Ukraine's Air Assault Forces Command were also involved in the operation, providing covering fire for the Angels unit, the post says.
A former British paratrooper was killed in November while trying to rescue Ukrainians during a battle, the BBC reported.
Simon Lingard, 38, died in the war-torn region of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Lingard was hit by fragments from artillery fire, with a post-mortem examination finding that he died of wounds sustained to his head and chest.
His ex-partner Stacey Longworth said he was "an amazing dad and not just a soldier," per the BBC.
"There's a lot of people that don't agree with what Simon did and have voiced opinions but his family are unbelievably proud of him and we backed him every step of the way," she added.