An injured Ukrainian soldier has managed to escape from behind enemy lines after being delivered an e-bike via drone.
Footage of the incident shared by the Rubizh Brigade shows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lowering the bicycle down to the soldier who had been stranded in the Russian-controlled Donbas for several days.
The wounded man was said to have been surrounded by Russian forces before he was able to speed away on the bicycle.
The brigade said three of its troops were killed by enemy fire during an operation around Siversk in northern Ukraine, leaving the remaining soldier alone.
The soldier, whose call sign is "Tanker", said to a camera: "Our drones covered us from above as best they could.
"Then they threw two gas cylinders straight into our hole and a lighter. We caught fire."
"Tanker" sustained a leg injury in the attack, leaving him unable to evacuate without assistance.
He added that he had been stranded in the area for around four or five days, saying: "Every day, I was surrounded, from all sides.
An injured Ukrainian soldier has managed to escape from behind enemy lines after being delivered an e-bike via drone
|TELEGRAM
"I fought back as best I could."
A chief of staff in the brigade, Mykola Gritsenko, said a rescue team was not able to reach the wounded soldier without putting their own safety at risk.
Gritsenko said: "It was impossible to drive up with equipment because the enemy was everywhere.
"He couldn't get out on his own either, because he had to walk 1.5km to the nearest position.
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"In his condition, with his injuries and lower limbs, he simply wouldn't have made it."
The brigade therefore made the decision to airlift an e-bike to his position with use of a drone.
Ukraine have relied heavily on UAVs during its war with Russia - however they are usually loaded with explosives and used for offensive purposes.
There is little evidence to show drone technology being used for evacuation.
According to the Battalion Freedom Force brigade, two initial attempts to deliver the bike were unsuccessful. One was shot down and another's motors burned out.
A third attempt proved successful, and the soldier was able to travel 400 metres on the electric bike - before he hit a remote mine and was thrown into the air.
After limping a further 200 metres, he was met by he comrades and pulled to safety.
A decision to deliver a second bicycle was then made, and he rode it for 15 minutes until he reached a safe zone and could be evacuated.
Gritsenko said: "To carry out this operation, they had to calculate the right time of day, the right weather conditions that would allow him to do it.
"The weight of this electric bike itself reaches almost 40kg."
The story has emerged as Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, killing 16 people.
Discussing the strike, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Today, the world once again saw Russia's response to our desire for peace, shared with America and Europe."