How the Vampire heavy bomber helped free two Ukrainian soldiers from captivity

Soldiers of Ukraine’s 21st Separate Mechanised Brigade freed two captured comrades with the help of a Vampire hexacopter developed by SkyFall. A video of the operation was published on the brigade’s Facebook page.

The story began in April on the North Slobozhanskyi direction, where two servicemen from the 21st Brigade were captured during a Russian assault. The brigade command requested assistance from a nearby Vampire drone crew.

The operators quickly prepared the UAV and moved to intercept. By that point, Russian troops were already escorting the captured Ukrainians towards their positions. After hearing the distinctive sound of the Vampire hovering above them, the Russian soldiers abandoned the prisoners and attempted to flee.

Following precise strikes from the bomber drone, two Russian troops were eliminated, the brigade said. Both freed Ukrainian infantrymen successfully returned to their units.

The brigade said this was the first confirmed case on the North Slobozhanskyi direction in which Ukrainian soldiers were freed from captivity using a UAV.

The operation was carried out by a crew led by a 23-year-old serviceman with the callsign “Rubin”. The brigade also acknowledged other crew members — “Balta”, “Balu” and “Uncle Kolya”.

The Vampire is a Ukrainian heavy strike hexacopter developed by SkyFall. The system is designed for frontline bombing missions, destroying enemy equipment and personnel, remote mining, and logistics operations, including cargo delivery. In 2025, Vampire became the most effective system on the battlefield according to the state-run Army of Drones Bonus programme.