A Ukrainian infantryman, Kostiantyn Vlasenko, has become the first soldier ever evacuated from a battlefield by a drone after enduring 491 days in Russian-controlled territory. Vlasenko survived by hiding in an abandoned school, amputating his own leg, and subsisting on supplies delivered by drone.
His ordeal began 491 days prior when he and his comrade, identified by the callsign 'Baski,' sought refuge in a flooded drainage pipe. After eight months, they were forced to flee due to the flooding. The pair then found shelter in an abandoned school in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. However, the skies were saturated with Russian drones, making evacuation impossible. On Vlasenko's comrade's 50th birthday, a Russian drone located their position and killed Baski, leaving Vlasenko severely injured.
For the subsequent 231 days, Vlasenko remained alone in the school, hiding within a cast-iron furnace. His comrades managed to deliver food and medicine via drone, and he continued to provide combat surveillance. During this period, his left foot became necrotic due to frostbite and eventually fell off. A month later, his right leg developed gangrene, forcing him to amputate it himself using a blunt knife and a brick.
On October 4, Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade executed a daring rescue mission using a heavily modified bomber drone. The drone dropped a sealed bag containing a nylon seat, rope, carabiners, and a phone with video instructions for Vlasenko. The video detailed how he was to strap himself to the drone, which would then land and turn off its motors. The drone, flanked by three Vampire drones for protection, successfully lifted Vlasenko and flew him 11 miles to safety. Footage shows Vlasenko giving a thumbs-up to the drone's camera before his ascent.
Vlasenko, who grew up in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, was working as a truck driver when the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. He volunteered for service and was assigned to the 2nd Battalion of Ukraine's 30th Mechanised Brigade. He recounts the isolation and psychological toll of his long confinement, often listening to other observation posts report '450,' meaning 'all quiet,' to feel less alone.
Despite his remarkable survival and historic rescue, Vlasenko expressed discomfort with his newfound status, stating, "I don't like being first. I prefer being second."