Ukrainian Commander Races Into Kill Zone in Unarmored Pickup to Save His Wounded Troops

A Ukrainian assault company commander drove an unarmored pickup truck into an area under constant threat from Russian drones to rescue two seriously wounded soldiers after the unmanned ground vehicle evacuating them was struck and disabled.

Ukraine’s Joint Forces Group released footage of the evacuation on August 16, identifying the commander as Vladyslav Polskyi of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment “CODE 9.2.”

The two Ukrainian assault troops had successfully captured Russian positions before being attacked by Russian Molniya drones while withdrawing. Both sustained serious injuries and were unable to move independently, according to the Joint Forces Group.

An unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) was sent to retrieve them, allowing Ukrainian forces to attempt the evacuation without exposing additional personnel. The robotic platform reached the wounded soldiers, but a Russian drone struck it during the return journey, immobilizing it in open terrain.

The two wounded troops were left stranded beside the disabled vehicle in an area visible to Russian aerial reconnaissance. With the robotic evacuation no longer possible, Polskyi got behind the wheel of a pickup truck and drove directly to their position.

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War in Ukraine

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Footage released by the Joint Forces Group shows the pickup speeding toward the disabled UGV before stopping alongside it. Polskyi then personally transferred the wounded soldiers into the vehicle and drove them out of the exposed area.

The pickup had neither armor protection nor electronic warfare equipment to shield it from Russian drones. Both wounded soldiers were successfully evacuated.

“When the regiment commander is asked why his soldiers undertake the most difficult assaults when others hesitate, the answer lies precisely in actions like these: the soldiers know that their commanders do not hide behind their backs, but are ready to give everything to save every soldier,” the Joint Forces Group said.

Ukrainian forces have increasingly used unmanned ground vehicles for evacuations in areas exposed to Russian fire. In May, operators from the Kraken 1654 unmanned systems regiment used a ground robotic platform as part of a three-stage operation to evacuate four civilians near Lyman, before transferring them by boat and eventually to medical personnel.

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