- A Ukrainian serviceman said his unit rescued a captured fellow soldier using drones.
- One drone led him out of a trench to safety after they had "destroyed" his captors.
A Ukrainian serviceman said his unit rescued a captured fellow soldier using drones.
Anton Gerashschenko, an advisor in Ukraine's internal affairs ministry, shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing an unnamed soldier of the 95th Separate Polesian Air Assault Brigade detailing the incident.
The soldier said neighboring units were under attack and Russians had taken over a trench when his brigade launched three crews of drones in a bid to help his fellow soldiers. He did not say where or when the attack happened.
As their drones flew over the Russian position, he said they spotted a military captive from another unit tied up in the trench.
"We successfully destroyed the enemy," the soldier said. "There were a lot of wounded, and the remaining group left."
With only one Mavic drone left and a single grenade strapped to it, the serviceman said they used flashing lights to signal to the captive soldier that it was a friendly drone.
"We turned the drone's cameras around, flew to the left, and that's how he started to leave the position," he added.
As he made his way out, he was confronted with another Russian soldier on the other side of the trench.
But the drone unit struck the enemy soldier.
"I think he died, because he fell under a tree, and then stayed there," the soldier said, adding that they "successfully managed to lead the soldier out of the dugout to a safe place, where the group took him away."
"Drones have shown themselves to be very good — they not only successfully destroy the enemy, but also save lives," he added.
This is not the first time Ukraine has used drones to carry out rescue efforts.
In August, The Economist reported that Ukraine was using cargo drones that could carry 397-pound weights for up to 43 miles to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield.