Video: Near Vovchansk, a Russian prisoner of war helped evacuate the body of a fallen Ukrainian soldier
Operators from the “Volya” Battalion of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade carried out an operation lasting nearly a full day to recover the body of a fallen Ukrainian soldier on the outskirts of Vovchansk. To do so, they enlisted the help of a Russian prisoner of war who had been captured using a drone.
According to the battalion, the evacuation team could not safely reach the location where the Ukrainian soldier’s body lay. First, the Russian was taken prisoner using a Mavic drone equipped with a loudspeaker.
He was then led to the fallen soldier, and a “Vampire” drone dropped an evacuation stretcher. With its help, the prisoner was able to carry the body out of the dangerous area.
The battalion emphasized that returning the bodies of fallen defenders is a duty owed to their families, who must be able to bid a dignified farewell to their loved ones and bury them.
Source: “Volya” Battalion of the 57th Mechanized Infantry Brigade (YouTube)
Operation “Vivaldi” and other counteroffensive actions by Ukrainian forces in 2026 enabled Ukraine to seize the operational initiative along the entire front line and effectively halt the Russian army’s advance. This was reported by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), who also stated that a large Russian division was destroyed during the operation.
The Third Army Corps released footage from the action cameras of soldiers who participated in the fourth phase of Operation “Vivaldi.” As a result of a successful maneuver by Ukrainian forces, Russian occupiers were surrounded, suffered casualties, and were forced to retreat en masse or surrender.
The Third Army Corps and its attached units liberated three more settlements—Zelena Dolyna, Lypove, and Kolodyazi. According to Corps Commander Andriy Biletsky, during this new phase of Operation “Vivaldi,” Ukrainian forces recaptured 101 km² of territory, while the Russian army lost approximately 3,000 soldiers.
