Key facts
- Ukrainian junior lieutenant Vladyslav Polskyi rescued two wounded soldiers from a battlefield.
- The rescue occurred in the Kharkiv region on August 15.
- One soldier was stranded on a land drone disabled by a Russian drone.
- Polskyi drove into a mined 'kill zone' without a helmet or body armor.
- Polskyi was awarded the Hero of Ukraine honor by President Zelenskiy.
Ukrainian junior lieutenant Vladyslav Polskyi, known by the call-sign 'Teacher', has been awarded the nation's highest military honor, Hero of Ukraine, for a daring rescue mission on August 15. Polskyi, a former science teacher who joined the army in 2023, drove his pick-up truck into a heavily mined 'kill zone' in the Kharkiv region to save two wounded soldiers from another battalion.
Polskyi observed the soldiers on a screen from his command post approximately 15 km away. One of the soldiers was stranded on a land drone that had been struck by a Russian explosive-laden helicopter drone, disabling its Starlink terminal and severing its connection to its pilot. The other wounded soldier had managed to crawl into a ditch.
Despite the risks of mines and aerial drones, Polskyi proceeded with the rescue, recalling that he would want to be rescued if he were in their situation. He loaded both men onto his truck and successfully evaded Russian drones that were detected heading towards them. Surveillance drone footage obtained by Reuters verified the location of the rescue, though it was not disclosed for security reasons.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented Polskyi with the Hero of Ukraine award on Monday during Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv, commending his actions and stating, 'People must be taken care of. Thank you, Vladyslav!' The incident also highlighted the limitations of battlefield technology, as the Russian drone attack exposed the vulnerability of Ukraine's unmanned ground vehicles.