Ukrainian commander Vladyslav Polskyi, call-sign “Teacher,” earned the Hero of Ukraine medal after rescuing two wounded soldiers stranded in a Russian-laid kill zone. On August 15, Polskyi watched the men on a drone feed from 15 km away as their unmanned ground vehicle was struck by a Russian explosive drone, immobilizing it and cutting their link to rescuers. One soldier had crawled into a ditch while the other lay helpless on the damaged drone, his foot dangling from the bone.
Polskyi drove his unarmored pickup through the minefield and under drone surveillance, loading both men onto his truck before evading incoming Russian drones. The rescue unfolded in real time for drone-platoon leader “Malyi,” who called the operation shocking given the risks of a single mine or drone strike killing all three.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy presented the award at Independence Day ceremonies, praising Polskyi’s refusal to leave the men behind. The mission highlighted the limits of slow, rudimentary evacuation drones against Russia’s agile aerial strikes, which have killed or wounded an estimated 30,000 Russian soldiers monthly—a figure Moscow disputes.
