The 1st Medical Battalion used a casket‑shaped MAUL ground drone to rescue a wounded Ukrainian soldier who had been trapped behind enemy lines for 33 days. After six failed recovery attempts by other units, the battalion’s seventh mission completed a roughly 40‑mile evacuation, operating nearly 23 miles on a damaged wheel after hitting a mine. The armored capsule protected the evacuee during a return drone attack, and medics stabilized him upon return. President Zelenskyy praised the operation and said Ukraine will expand robotic evacuation and drone capabilities.
Casket‑shaped MAUL Robot Rescues Ukrainian Soldier After 33 Days Behind Enemy Lines
The 1st Medical Battalion used a casket‑shaped MAUL ground drone to rescue a wounded Ukrainian soldier who had been trapped behind enemy lines for 33 days. After six failed recovery attempts by other units, the battalion’s seventh mission completed a roughly 40‑mile evacuation, operating nearly 23 miles on a damaged wheel after hitting a mine. The armored capsule protected the evacuee during a return drone attack, and medics stabilized him upon return. President Zelenskyy praised the operation and said Ukraine will expand robotic evacuation and drone capabilities.
20:22, 07.11.2025Conflict
Casket‑shaped MAUL robot retrieves wounded soldier after 33 days behind enemy lines
Ukrainian forces used a casket‑shaped, off‑road ground robot to rescue a wounded soldier who had been isolated behind enemy lines for 33 days, navigating minefields and enemy drone attacks to bring him home.
After six unsuccessful recovery attempts by other units, the 1st Medical Battalion of the Ukrainian Ground Forces took on the mission. On its seventh try, the battalion’s remotely operated MAUL ground drone completed the extraction from Russian‑occupied territory in eastern Ukraine.
The vehicle — described by the battalion as an armored personnel capsule mounted on an ATV‑style frame — traveled roughly 40 miles during the operation. For nearly 23 of those miles it kept moving on a damaged wheel after striking an anti‑personnel mine. The battalion said the mission lasted just under six hours and published a video of the operation on social media.
"We received a request from an adjacent unit to try to evacuate their soldier. They had already made four attempts on their own, but they were unsuccessful. They turned to us because we had the appropriate capabilities," said Volodymyr Koval, head of communications for the 1st Medical Battalion, in an interview with CBS News.
Koval described how the soldier’s position was known and how aerial drones provided contact and delivered food prior to the evacuation. Two earlier attempts by the battalion were thwarted by mines and drones lying in ambush along the roads. Despite striking a mine, the seventh mission succeeded.
When the MAUL reached the stranded serviceman he climbed into the armored capsule, lay down and sealed himself inside. On the return leg, the vehicle came under attack from a Russian drone, but the capsule’s protection helped the soldier survive. Once the platform crossed back into Ukrainian‑controlled territory, military medics immediately rendered first aid and stabilized the evacuee.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the operation in a video statement: "The wounded warrior is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. His life has been saved." Zelenskyy said Ukraine would scale up robotic evacuation capabilities and other modern battlefield solutions to support soldiers, supply lines, and casualty evacuation.
The MAUL was originally developed by the 1st Medical Battalion and is now produced under license by Ukrainian defence firm DevDroid. According to the battalion, the MAUL is powered by an internal‑combustion engine, can reach speeds up to 70 kph (43 mph), uses an armored capsule to protect the wounded, and runs on metal, airless wheels designed to resist mine damage. DevDroid lists the unit at about $19,000 each.
Earlier this year, Ukraine’s National Guard 13th Khartia Brigade used a simpler Zmiy‑500 ground drone to evacuate a wounded soldier while simultaneously delivering supplies over more than 20 miles without incident, underscoring a growing role for unmanned systems in frontline logistics and casualty extraction.
Why this matters
This rescue highlights the evolving use of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in high‑risk medical evacuations, reducing risk to rescuers while increasing the chances of saving isolated wounded personnel under heavy fire and in mined terrain. The MAUL operation is being cited by Ukrainian leaders as a model for expanding robotic and drone capabilities across the armed forces.