He Cut Off His Own Leg, Spent Eight Months Trapped in a Hole, Then Flew 15 Kilometres Hanging from a Drone: A Ukrainian Soldier's Incredible Survival

Ukrainian infantry soldier Kostiantyn Vlasenko was trapped for eight long months in a small hole in the boiler house of a destroyed school in Ukraine's war-torn region. With Russian drones constantly moving around him and no access to medical care, the 49-year-old soldier was forced to take a horrific decision to save his life: he had to cut off his only good leg himself.

Earlier, in February this year, Vlasenko lost his left leg in a Russian drone attack. In the same attack his right leg was broken and bent, making even crawling impossible for him. After about three months, gathering his courage, he cut off his wounded leg with a knife and wrapped a tourniquet around it to stop the bleeding.

Finally, that struggle for life came to an incredible end. On 4 October, after spending 491 days on the front line and nearly eight months trapped in the boiler house, he was freed in a dramatic rescue operation.

Using a huge remote-controlled six-propeller drone, he was flown with the help of a belt and carabiner to a safe place 15 kilometres away. According to a Ukrainian military commander, this is the first time in the history of modern warfare that a wounded soldier has been rescued by air using a drone.

This area of eastern Ukraine is called a 'kill zone' in military terms. Because hundreds of drones watch from the sky, any movement brings a deadly risk to life. For this reason, soldiers on both sides of the battlefield are forced to stay trapped for months in bunkers dug deep into the ground.

Lying in a hospital bed in the city of Kharkiv, Vlasenko told the Reuters news agency, 'I had sort of buried myself. I thought there was no hope left.' Reuters verified his account by reviewing information provided by the Ukrainian military and footage from the camera on the rescue drone.

Vlasenko is a member of the Ukrainian military's 30th Mechanized Brigade. In May last year he was sent to a frontline position in the Kharkiv region with his comrade 'Basky'. Food and supplies were regularly delivered to them there by drone.

In the autumn, when other soldiers were sent to replace them, two new soldiers were killed in a Russian attack. Later, two more soldiers who went to recover their bodies also lost their lives. Vlasenko realised that every path out of there on foot was closed.

In mid-February their bunker flooded, forcing them to take shelter in a neighbouring destroyed school building. But there was no safety there either. When they went out to collect dry food and clothing sent by drone, a Russian drone bombed them. His comrade Basky was killed on the spot on his 50th birthday; Vlasenko's left leg was blown off and his right leg was badly broken.

Barely surviving, he took shelter in a small hole under the school measuring only 80 by 60 centimetres. Over time, part of his left leg began to rot and the bone of his broken right leg started to come out. Vlasenko said, 'My leg had rotted badly and the broken bone was coming out more and more. I was not even able to drag my leg along. So I had no choice but to cut off my own leg myself.'

When Vlasenko had given up hope of survival, the Ukrainian 92nd Assault Brigade and other military commanders were planning his rescue from afar. The officer in charge of the rescue, codenamed 'Alex', said that because of the drone threat, rescue by car or armoured vehicle was impossible. Even two attempts to send driverless ground vehicles or tracked robots were destroyed by Russian drone attacks.

It was then that they decided to use a heavy drone made by a local drone manufacturer, 'Gurujuf Defence'. The special drone, named 'Ayudag-6', can carry up to 90 kilograms over a distance of 25 kilometres. In early October, a special evacuation harness and a mobile phone with instructions were sent to Vlasenko by drone.

The next day, 4 October, the main rescue drone arrived. Following the instructions, Vlasenko strapped himself in and attached himself to the drone's hook. The drone lifted him 70 metres, or 230 feet, above the ground and flew off. During the operation, three small 'Vampire' drones escorted the main drone to avoid Russian drone attacks, while Ukrainian artillery fire and other drones diverted the enemy's attention elsewhere. After just 15 breathtaking minutes in the air, the drone set him down safely at the destination, whose name has been kept secret for security reasons.

The fighter who returned from the face of death said with a smile that he had only one fear during the air journey. 'I was not afraid of falling,' Vlasenko said. 'My fear was, what if I somehow fell into water! Because I cannot swim.' Eight months of captivity, cutting off his own leg, and freedom hanging from a drone — Vlasenko's story will remain a rare document of the horror of modern warfare and of the limitless human will to survive.