Hero of Ukraine Vladyslav Polskyi, 29, Drives in Kharkiv After UGV Rescue

Q: Why did a former schoolteacher abandon his body armor to race into a deadly drone swarm in Kharkiv?

He did it because he judged that speed was the only realistic way to save two badly wounded soldiers after their robotic evacuation vehicle was knocked out by a Russian FPV drone. Vladyslav Polskyi, a 29-year-old former schoolteacher from Zaporizhzhia turned assault commander and combat medic, said he had watched the drone activity and saw only a narrow window before more Russian strike drones returned. In that situation, he believed body armor would slow him down more than it would protect him. As he later explained, if a drone hit the pickup, the armor was unlikely to matter much, but without it he could move faster, jump out, load the men quicker, and get away immediately. That calculation shaped the rescue. He drove an unarmored civilian pickup at speeds reportedly reaching 160 kph into the Derhachi–Kozacha Lopan area of Kharkiv region, where two Ukrainian soldiers had been left exposed in open ground. Once there, he loaded them into the truck in under a minute and evacuated them before more drones arrived. Both soldiers survived and were reported in serious but stable condition. His decision also reflected his leadership ethos. Polskyi said the wounded men were not even from his own company, but “there are no strangers” on the battlefield. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the act as an example of how a commander should act, and Polskyi was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine.

3 articles · Updated · Lufkin Daily News · Aug 26

Vladyslav Polskyi, 29, was photographed driving in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on Aug. 20 amid Russia's war.
Polskyi earned Ukraine's highest military honor, Hero of Ukraine, after rescuing injured service members from an unmanned ground vehicle.
The Reuters image highlights a decorated frontline commander in Kharkiv, a region that remains central to the conflict with Russia.