Ukraine war latest: Ukraine evacuates wounded soldier from front line by drone for first time, military says

Key developments on Oct. 19:

• Ukraine evacuates wounded soldier from front line by drone for first time, military says
• Ukraine brings home 23 children from Russian occupation
• Ukraine, Russia nearing agreement on evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky, ombudsman says
• 3 waves of Russian missiles slam Kyiv overnight, killing at least 1, injuring 8
• 'Absolute atrocity' — Russian drone strike on park in Kharkiv Oblast kills children
• Russia strikes 28 critical energy facilities across Ukraine in latest wave of attacks, Zelensky says

Ukrainian forces have carried out what they describe as a "first-of-its-kind" aerial evacuation of a wounded soldier directly from a front-line position by drone, the Ukrainian military and defense company Gurzuf Defense announced on Oct. 19.

The operation involved Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and 10th Army Corps, along with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defense.

The Ukrainian military did not disclose the date of the operation or the section of the front line where it took place.

The wounded soldier, serving with the 30th Brigade, had spent nearly 500 days at a front-line position "under constant threat of death." His fellow soldiers maintained contact with him and delivered food, water, ammunition, and medicine by drone, Gurzuf Defense said.

After the soldier suffered a severe injury, evacuating him by ground became impossible because of Russian drone activity in the area and mined terrain. Attempting to reach him on foot or with a ground robotic vehicle, the usual way of evacuating the wounded, would have put the rescue team at risk.

Ukrainian troops used a heavy-lift hexacopter drone, the Heavy Shot Ayudag-6.

The team first delivered special equipment with carabiners to the wounded soldier, then sent the drone equipped with a winch. Guided remotely by fellow soldiers who remained in contact with him, the soldier secured himself to the evacuation system, Gurzuf Defense said, calling the operation an "unprecedented mission."

The drone then transported him to a safer position, where other soldiers met him and arranged further evacuation to a hospital. The mission lasted 1 hour, 14 minutes, and 36 seconds, covering a distance of 62 kilometers (39 miles).

The company said the operation required close monitoring of the airspace and electronic warfare protection throughout the flight. The soldier is now receiving treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is no longer in danger, according to the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

"An extremely complex operation, but a successful one. This is a historic event," "Napalm," a  92nd Brigade programmer who was involved in preparing the operation, said.

"It marks the next stage in the evacuation of the wounded, which we will all eventually reach. Now the serious, systematic work begins to ensure that such missions take place on a regular basis," Napalm added.

Gurzuf Defense co-founder Pavlo Feldblium warned that aerial evacuation should not be treated as a routine practice, citing the risks to wounded soldiers during flight. Each mission would need to be planned individually for the specific circumstances and location, he said.

"Air rescue is a last resort when there is no other way to save a person," Feldblium said.

According to the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainka Pravda, the hexacopter Heavy Shot Ayudag-6's platform has a flight range of up to 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) and an operational altitude of 150–300 meters (500 to 1,000 feet), while the aircraft itself weighs about 98 kilograms (215 pounds) and can carry 70–90 kilograms (150 to 200 pounds).

Ukraine brings home 23 children from Russian occupation

Ukraine has brought home 23 more children from Russian-occupied territory over the past week, the presidential initiative Bring Kids Back UA announced on Oct. 19.

The rescued children are now receiving psychological support and assistance in restoring their Ukrainian documents, Bring Kids Back UA said.

Among the children returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory is 9-year-old Stefan, who was forced to undergo military training at a school under Russian occupation, including instruction in handling grenades and firearms, the statement said.

Another child returned to Ukraine was 13-year-old Polina, who survived a Russian combat drone strike near her home and was later afraid to go outside, the statement said.

Russian troops also raided her home and destroyed communication devices to limit access to information, according to Bring Kids Back UA.

Ukraine, Russia nearing agreement on evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky, ombudsman says

Ukraine and Russia are nearing an agreement on the final details of civilian evacuation from the front-line town of Oleshky and nearby settlements in the Russian-occupied part of Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Oct. 18.

Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion. Residents face severe shortages of food, water, and electricity, while mined roads, constant drone attacks, and interrogations by Russian troops at checkpoints make safe evacuation virtually impossible.

The two sides are discussing a local ceasefire to allow residents to be evacuated directly to Ukrainian-controlled territory, rather than having to travel first through Russian-occupied areas and then through Russia and Belarus, Lubinets said in an interview with Ukrainian broadcaster Espreso.

"We are making as much progress as possible. We are now moving toward agreeing on the final details to ensure a ceasefire and evacuate everyone ... directly to territory controlled by the Ukrainian government," Lubinets said.

Lubinets did not specify what direct evacuation to Ukrainian territory entails, but one possible option is to transfer civilians across the Dnipro River to the Ukrainian-controlled western bank.

He added that Kyiv has been holding daily negotiations to unblock the humanitarian evacuation and that Moscow has begun considering a proposal Kyiv put forward long ago.

"We still have some difficult issues to resolve, but I hope that in the near future we will all see concrete results from these negotiations," Lubinets said.

No final agreement has been publicly announced, and it remains unclear when an evacuation could begin.

Lubinets said on Sept. 16 that more than 6,000 people possibly remain in Oleshky and the surrounding area, including about 200 children. His office said it had verified 358 people who urgently need assistance to leave safely.

3 waves of Russian missiles slam Kyiv overnight, killing at least 1, injuring 8

At least one person was killed and eight others injured after multiple waves of Russian missiles struck Kyiv overnight on Oct. 19.

Several explosions rocked the capital just before 11 p.m., with further attacks around 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS) said damage was reported in at least three districts.

One person was killed in the Desnianskyi District where a non-residential building caught fire and a metro station was damaged, DSNS said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier reported a fatality was that of 21-year-old woman.

The above-ground Chernihivska and Lisova metro stations were temporarily closed for repairs, city officials said.

Later on Oct. 19, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said more than 70 workers were repairing the damaged metro infrastructure, with the most difficult work involving power supply and train control systems. Repairs had continued since overnight but were being slowed by air raid alerts, which forced crews to take shelter.

Train service between Lisova and Akademmistechko stations was expected to resume that evening, with trains skipping Chernihivska until repairs were completed, Klitschko added.

Five people were injured in the Solomianskyi District when a 25-story residential building was damaged, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported. It is not yet clear where the other injuries occurred.

The Cosmo Multimall shopping and entertainment center sustained significant damage in the Solomianskyi District. Its administration said no employees were injured and that the mall was working to resume operations as soon as possible. The center did not disclose the extent of the damage or provide a timeline for repairs.

'Absolute atrocity' — Russian drone strike on park in Kharkiv Oblast kills children

Two children were among six people killed in a Russian drone strike on a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv Oblast, on Oct. 19, according to updated casualty figures released by Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

The victims included two girls, aged eight and one, three women aged 28, 34, and 36, and a man around 40 years old, Syniehubov said, adding that at least 15 people were injured, including seven children.

The drone struck the town's central park while many people, including families with children, were there, Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said. He also pointed out that the attack made no militarey sense.

The governor initially said that at least 15 other people were injured, including seven children. He later raised the number of people killed to six, including three children.

The attack occurred at around 4:30 p.m. local time, the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office said. According to preliminary findings, Russian forces used a Geran-3 drone for the attack.

"This cannot be treated as just another news story. The world must not get used to the killing of Ukrainian children and civilians," Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack an "absolute atrocity."

He said a girl called Angelina, a little over a year old, was killed in the park, and her mother Inna passed away in the hospital. He also identified another victim of the attack as a 14-year-old girl.

"These are horrific photos, but behind them lie shattered lives and the truth about this war. We must protect lives. Ukraine needs air defense," Zelensky said. "We ask that sanctions against Russia NOT be lifted until the killings stop."

Prosecutors have opened a pre-trial investigation into a possible war crime.

In Kharkiv Oblast, Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv and 17 settlements in the surrounding region, injuring 11 people, over the past day, Syniehubov said.

Russia strikes 28 critical energy facilities across Ukraine in latest wave of attacks, Zelensky says

Russian attacks struck 28 substations and other critical energy facilities across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 19, following another wave of missile and drone attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

At least 550,000 households lost power overnight, Zelensky said, following a coordination meeting on the situation in Ukraine's regions.

Russian forces targeted energy infrastructure in 11 oblasts overnight and on the morning of Oct. 19, First Deputy Energy Minister Artem Nekrasov reported. Additional power outages caused by Russian strikes and ongoing hostilities were reported in four other oblasts.

One energy worker was injured in an attack on an energy facility in Vinnytsia Oblast, Nekrasov said.

Repair crews are working to restore electricity wherever security conditions allow, although prolonged air raid alerts and the threat of renewed Russian strikes are slowing restoration efforts, according to the Energy Ministry.

During the overnight attacks, Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones in several waves in what Zelensky described as a "targeted attack on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast."

Zelensky said Ukraine had "once again" received no advance warning from its partners about the strikes.

Nekrasov said that over the past week, Russia carried out 87 targeted attacks on Ukraine's energy, oil, and gas sectors. Authorities recorded 224 incidents that caused damage to energy, oil, and gas infrastructure during that period.

Russia has carried out 2,147 attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since July 16, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said in an interview with BBC News Ukrainian published on Oct. 19, citing figures as of Oct. 17.

"Not a single day has passed without attacks on energy infrastructure," Koretskyi said.