Archive · 26 Aug 2026
Ukrainian Commander Rescues Wounded Soldiers Through Drone Kill Zone
Two Ukrainian soldiers were hurt in a dangerous battlefield area.
They were being moved on a small remote-controlled vehicle.
A Russian drone attacked that vehicle and stopped it from moving.
One wounded soldier was trapped on it, while the other hid in a ditch.
Their commander, Vladyslav Polskyi, saw what happened on a screen.
He drove a pickup truck through the dangerous area without body armor.
He lifted both soldiers into the truck and drove them to safety.
Russian drones were looking for them, but they escaped.
Polskyi later received Ukraine’s highest military honor for helping them.
Ukrainian commander Vladyslav Polskyi drove into a mined, drone-filled battlefield on August 15 to rescue two wounded soldiers.
One soldier was trapped on a damaged unmanned ground vehicle, while the other had crawled into a nearby ditch.
A Russian explosive drone struck the evacuation vehicle and disabled its Starlink terminal, cutting its connection to the pilot.
Polskyi loaded both soldiers onto his pickup truck and escaped despite Russian drones moving toward them.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later awarded Polskyi the Hero of Ukraine honor for the rescue.
- Who
- Ukrainian commander Vladyslav Polskyi rescued two wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
- What
- He drove through a battlefield kill zone and evacuated the soldiers after their unmanned ground vehicle was disabled.
- When
- The rescue took place on August 15; Polskyi received the award days later during Independence Day celebrations.
- Where
- In the Kharkiv region of northern Ukraine; the precise location was withheld for security reasons.
- Why
- The soldiers were wounded and stranded after a Russian drone struck their evacuation vehicle.
- Commander
- Vladyslav Polskyi, whose call-sign is “Teacher”
- Rescue date
- August 15
- Rescue vehicle
- A grey pickup truck
- Stranded soldiers
- Two wounded Ukrainian fighters from another battalion
- Initial evacuation vehicle
- A remote-controlled unmanned ground vehicle
- Cause of breakdown
- A Russian explosive drone disabled the vehicle’s Starlink terminal
- Award
- Hero of Ukraine, presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy