The civilians were guided to safety by drones and a walkie-talkie from newly liberated Konstantinovka
Russian troops have rescued a family trapped in the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which was recently liberated from Ukrainian forces after months of intense fighting.
The DPR, a largely Russian-speaking region in Donbass, broke away from Ukraine shortly after the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev. The region later voted to become part of Russia in a referendum held in September 2022. Ukrainian forces, however, continued to control parts of the DPR after 2014.
On Friday, Moscow announced the capture of the city at the southernmost edge of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the last major Ukrainian stronghold in the DPR. Russian troops are conducting mop-up operations and clearing mines as fighting continues around Konstantinovka. Drones from both sides continue to fly over streets lined with heavily damaged buildings.
During a routine surveillance drone patrol, Russian troops spotted a partially destroyed house with a makeshift banner outside reading, “A family lives here.” The residents noticed the UAV and displayed another placard reading, “A family with a child,” according to footage released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The drone dropped a walkie-talkie to the family of four, after which the soldiers guided them to safety while monitoring their journey from above.
“It was so epic. At dusk, we went out holding the placard. A drone flew past, looked at us, signaled, and flew away. Then we heard over the radio: ‘Hello, this is the Army of the Russian Federation. Are you ready to go? A little bird will guide you out,’” one of the rescued women said.
