Ukraine Robot Retrieves Soldier Behind Enemy Lines

Ukrainian forces pulled off a dramatic rescue of a wounded soldier trapped for more than a month behind enemy lines—thanks to a robot built for just such missions, reports CBS News. The military knew the location of the soldier and had been dropping him supplies, but multiple attempts to get him out failed. Solution? They sent in a unique robot to retrieve him, and it did so after traversing roughly 40 miles of dangerous terrain in eastern Ukraine.

When the robot arrived, the soldier climbed into its armored capsule and rode back to safety despite coming under attack by a Russian drone. The robot sustained damage but kept rolling, per United24Media. "His life has been saved," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement Thursday. "We will scale up exactly this kind of technological backbone for our army—more ground robotic systems operating at the front." The soldier's injuries weren't specified, but he is said to be recuperating.

The so-called MAUL robot, manufactured by Ukrainian company DevDroid, is designed to withstand rough conditions. CBS describes it as "armored casket mounted on an ATV frame and wheels." A Ukraine medical battalion released this video.