Ukrainian soldier survived more than a year alone in the battlefield before dramatic rescue – here’s how

• Ukrainian soldier Kostiantyn Vlasenko has been rescued from a frontline kill zone in Kharkiv Oblast using a flying drone after being stranded alone for 70 weeks.
• The 49-year-old volunteer fighter made history as the first person to be evacuated from an active war zone by an aerial drone on 4 October.
• Critically injured by a Russian drone strike, Vlasenko lost his left foot to necrosis and self-amputated his frostbitten right foot with a knife to survive.
• He survived for more than a year in hostile territory relying on airdropped food, cigarettes, and a Stephen King novel while ground rescue attempts were repeatedly blocked.
• The complex six-month rescue operation involved a heavy-lift Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 drone supported by diversionary drones, helicopters, and artillery cover.

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