‘I Had Considered Myself Buried’: Ukrainian Soldier
News Desk
KYIV: In a remarkable tale of survival amid the horrors of the Russia-Ukraine war, a wounded Ukrainian soldier who amputated his own foot to stay alive spent nearly eight months in a makeshift underground hideout beneath a destroyed school before being airlifted to safety by a large military drone.
Kostiantyn Vlasenko, 49, was rescued on October 4 in an operation Ukrainian military officials described as the first known case of a soldier being evacuated by an aerial drone. His ordeal reflects the increasingly deadly conditions on the battlefield, where relentless drone surveillance has made even routine troop movements potentially fatal.
According to Reuters, Vlasenko was serving with Ukraine’s 30th Mechanized Brigade in the Kharkiv region when a Russian drone strike left him severely wounded and unable to move. His left foot was destroyed, while his right leg sustained a serious injury and a broken bone.
With medical help inaccessible and evacuation seemingly impossible, Vlasenko resorted to a desperate measure to survive. About three months after the attack, he used his own knife to amputate his right foot and applied a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.
He then took refuge in a narrow pit beneath a boiler in the remains of a school, where he endured months of pain, isolation and uncertainty.
“I had already considered myself buried. I knew there was no hope left,” Vlasenko told Reuters from his hospital bed.
The Ukrainian military confirmed his account, while footage recorded by a camera mounted on the rescue drone also emerged. Reuters, however, said it could not independently verify every aspect of the soldier’s story.
A deadly frontline leaves soldiers trapped
Vlasenko’s ordeal began in May 2025, when he was deployed alongside a fellow soldier known by the call sign “Basque.” The two men lived in a cramped underground dugout and relied on drones to deliver essential supplies, including food, chocolate and cigarettes.
Their situation deteriorated when a planned troop rotation turned into a deadly mission. Two soldiers sent to replace them were killed while travelling to their position. Two additional soldiers dispatched to retrieve the bodies also lost their lives.
The deaths highlighted the extreme risks associated with moving troops through areas monitored by Russian drones. Small remotely operated aircraft equipped with live video feeds can detect movements and attack exposed personnel, making conventional rescue missions increasingly difficult.
Stranded in the ruins of the school, Vlasenko remained confined to his hideout, dependent on supplies delivered by drone and waiting for an opportunity to escape.
A safety harness offers a chance of survival
In early October, a routine supply delivery brought an unexpected package containing a safety harness and a mobile phone loaded with instructional videos explaining how to use it.
Vlasenko quickly realised that the equipment was intended for an extraordinary rescue attempt. Despite the dangers, he understood that the mission might be his only remaining chance of survival.
On October 4, a large six-rotor drone reached his location. Following the instructions, he secured himself to the aircraft with a sturdy metal clip, allowing the drone to lift him approximately 70 metres into the air.
The operation involved extensive military coordination. Three smaller drones accompanied the rescue aircraft to distract potential Russian attackers, while a Ukrainian team comprising four drone operators, artillery units and heavy drones spent nearly two hours striking known Russian drone positions to help secure a passage.
After a nerve-racking 15-minute flight, the aircraft delivered Vlasenko to safety. The military withheld the exact location of the evacuation site for security reasons.
Despite his fear of falling, Vlasenko said his greatest concern was landing in water because he could not swim. He feared plunging into a river or another body of water more than falling into a forest.
The successful operation finally ended his prolonged confinement and brought him within reach of medical treatment.
Drone warfare transforms the battlefield
Vlasenko’s rescue underscores how the expanding use of unmanned aircraft by Russia and Ukraine has transformed modern warfare, creating new challenges for soldiers, military planners and medical evacuation teams.
In some frontline areas, constant aerial surveillance has created what are commonly described as “kill zones”, where drones monitor troop movements and can rapidly target anyone exposed in the open.
As a result, soldiers on both sides are increasingly forced to remain in underground shelters for extended periods. Some are unable to leave their positions for months, while transporting wounded personnel to medical facilities has become a dangerous and often complicated undertaking.
Drones have consequently assumed multiple roles, ranging from reconnaissance and combat operations to delivering supplies and supporting logistical missions. Vlasenko’s evacuation demonstrates that the technology responsible for intensifying battlefield dangers can also offer innovative ways to save lives.
His survival, however, came at an extraordinary personal cost. Severely wounded and isolated from medical assistance, he endured months underground after amputating his own foot in a desperate bid to stay alive.
His eventual rescue serves as a stark reminder of the human suffering behind the technological evolution of warfare—and of the extraordinary lengths soldiers may be forced to go to when escape and medical help appear out of reach.
