Video: Wounded Ukrainian soldier escapes from his position on horseback

A Ukrainian soldier with the call sign “Riba” made his way back to his comrades on horseback after being seriously wounded. The horse helped him escape from the danger zone, and after his rescue, the soldiers fed it grain, apples, and vegetables.

Riba serves in the “Shkval” battalion of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment named after Dmytro Kotsyubailo. According to him, he and his comrade Makar spent four days in a dugout after storming enemy positions. Later, Russian troops discovered the shelter and began throwing grenades at it. One of them exploded on the roof, seriously wounding Ryba in the leg.

During the evacuation, Makar—who was himself suffering from pneumonia—carried the wounded soldier for the first 2.5 kilometers. Later, the soldiers were forced to take cover from Russian drones. In a forest strip, Riba spotted a horse and decided to seize the opportunity to escape, since he knew how to ride.

His comrades helped him mount the animal and relayed his coordinates to neighboring units. They tracked the soldier’s movements using drones to ensure he wasn’t mistaken for an enemy.

The soldier speculates that the Russians had used the horse during assaults and driven it to the point of exhaustion. Upon arriving at Ukrainian positions, the soldiers hid the animal in a cellar and gave it two sacks of grain, apples, carrots, and potatoes.

The wounded soldier was first taken to Zaporizhzhia and then to Bila Tserkva. Due to severe damage to his leg, the wound became infected. According to Ryba, doctors removed about 900 grams of pus and several large fragments.

Despite what he has been through, the soldier plans to continue his military service. He noted that it was the military that helped him believe in his own strength and see opportunities for the future.

As a reminder, on the night of October 10, drones attacked a Russian oil refinery in Rostov-on-Don. After several explosions, a massive fire broke out at the facility.

The Kuibyshev Oil Refinery, owned by the Russian company Rosneft, has begun searching for employees skilled in operating combat vehicles to protect the facility from Ukrainian drones.