Ukrainian soldier cuts off his own foot to survive, rescued by drone after 8 months
A Ukrainian soldier survived nearly 500 days on the frontline after being trapped in a bombed-out school with severe injuries. He eventually amputated his own foot to survive before being rescued by a heavy-lift drone in a first-of-its-kind aerial extraction.
Why it matters
This event highlights the extreme human cost of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and demonstrates the evolving, unconventional use of drone technology in modern warfare.
A Ukrainian soldier who spent nearly eight months trapped in a bombed-out school has been rescued from the frontline by a heavy-lift drone, in what Ukrainian commanders described as the first known aerial drone rescue of a soldier.Kostiantyn Vlasenko, 49, had been stranded in a boiler room with severe injuries after a Russian drone strike. With no way to escape and little hope of being rescued, he made a desperate decision to amputate his remaining foot to survive.On October 4, a large drone lifted him into the air using a harness and carried him 15km to safety.
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