Under threat of drones and mines: Ukrainian forces use single ground robot to evacuate four wounded soldiers

Andrii Konyk - 30 September, 19:41

The Ukrainian military has evacuated four wounded infantrymen from the contact line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast using a single unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). A video of the operation has been posted by the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.

Details: The evacuation has been carried out by soldiers from the 5th Separate Kyiv Assault Brigade, who are performing combat missions on the Huliaipole front. The wounded soldiers were evacuated in two trips: the ground robot delivered two soldiers first, and two more after recharging.

The video shows the final stage of the evacuation, when the soldiers were transferred from the UGV to an evacuation vehicle. During the mission, there was a threat of Russian drone strikes and mines.

Quote from the 7th Corps: "Due to the threat of the enemy using UAVs against the evacuation mission, the ground drone with a wounded soldier on board had to be escorted by Mavic drones, and required sky cover from interceptor drones."

Details: The unit reports that one of the soldiers evacuated with the help of the UGV was in an "extremely critical condition". All the wounded were first taken to a stabilisation point and then to a hospital.

Quote from the 7th Corps: "Currently, evacuation from the front line remains challenging and requires a combination of various methods and assets. At the same time, where conditions allow, UGVs enable us to perform some tasks remotely and reduce the risk to personnel."

Soldiers transferring a wounded soldier from the ground drone to an evacuation vehicle

Photo: 7th Corps

Background:

The number of missions that employ ground robots has increased by 3.3 times since the beginning of 2026. According to the Ministry of Defence, UGVs carried out 25,143 logistical and evacuation missions on the contact line in August. For comparison, there were 7,511 such operations in January.
Also, in June 2026, the 110th Separate Mechanised Brigade showed how UGVs were used to conduct a 15-hour evacuation of two wounded soldiers who had been unable to leave their positions for several days following a Russian attack. The drones travelled 56 kilometres to extract the soldiers.

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