Key facts
- Two severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated from a contested area using a drone.
- The drone, named StarGate, was developed by Ukrainian company SkyFall.
- The soldiers suffered severe limb injuries and were stranded about five kilometers from the Russian border.
- Ground evacuation was impossible due to terrain, water obstacles, and FPV drone threats.
- The operations involved coordination with multiple units and fire support from Vampire attack drones.
Ukrainian forces have successfully evacuated two severely wounded soldiers from a contested battlefield using a domestically developed drone, the 475th Separate Assault Regiment Code 9.2 reported on October 26, 2026. The soldiers, Yevhen (call sign "Izium") and Artem (call sign "Kolobok"), both in their mid-twenties, had suffered severe limb injuries and were stranded approximately five kilometers from the Russian border. Ground evacuation was deemed impossible due to difficult terrain, water obstacles, and the threat of Russian first-person-view drones. The operations, conducted over a week in cooperation with SkyFall, the drone's manufacturer, involved complex coordination and fire support from Vampire attack drones to suppress Russian positions. During one mission, the StarGate drone flew nearly 30 kilometers to reach a wounded soldier and return with him, overcoming Russian attempts to jam its navigation systems.