Thread by @JPLindsley

1/ A few days ago I told you about Ukrainian defenders sending an e-bike via drone to save a stranded brother.

It was a good story.

But then folks sent me the details.

They're damn amazing!

Here's the full, insane drone rescue story—all about doing the impossible 🧵⤵️

2/ For 4-5 days, "Tankist" had fought off daily Russian assaults ALONE.

His three friends, dead. Wounded, he can only hobble.

Russians keep coming, one or two at a time. He repels them.

Radio crackles: "Hold on brother, we'll get you out."

Then his rifle jams. ⤵️

3/ How did he end up here?

Day 1: Four soldiers from Rubizh ("Border") Brigade were defending a position near Siversk. Russians surrounded them completely—front, flanks, everywhere.

Two men died repelling the first assault. Then came gas canisters. ⤵️

4/ When fire broke out in their bunker, Mykhalych climbed out to extinguish it.

Tankist heard the shots: "One crack, then two simultaneously... then silence."

He saw only a boot at the exit. His last brother was gone.

Now he's alone ... ⤵️

5/ Rifle jammed. Cartridge stuck in the barrel.

An unexploded FPV drone sits at his bunker entrance—a trap waiting to detonate.

But an "orc" aka a Russian soldier somehow crawls PAST the FPV without triggering it.

He enters with an AK, pinning Tankist down. ⤵️

6/ "I had no choice."

Tankist throws his last grenade at the entrance. Hits the FPV drone.

The explosion from both kills the Russian inside the bunker.

Tankist is alive—but still trapped behind enemy lines. ⤵️

7/ At HQ, the 4th Battalion develops an insane plan: Use a Heavy Shot drone, made by Ukrainian startup Gurzuf Defence, to deliver a 40kg electric bike.

Problem: The drone is rated for 20kg at this distance. They need it to carry DOUBLE.

Multiple attempts fail. ⤵️

8/ First attempts are disasters. Russians shoot down one bike-carrying drone. Another's motors burn out from the weight.

Each failure costs thousands of dollars. But the commander says: "Money doesn't compare to a human life."

They keep trying. ⤵️

9/ New approach: Create relay stations. The bike is flown in pieces, assembled at a forward position, then delivered already powered on.

Everyone watches the feed. The commander said it felt like "launching the first airplane into the sky."

Hearts pounding. ⤵️

10/ The Heavy Shot arrives and lowers the e-bike on a winch.

But the cables tangle in the wheels.

Tankist—alone for nearly a week, wounded, surrounded—has to untangle them under enemy observation.

"With God's help," he says, "I went." ⤵️

11/ The moment he rides off, the entire headquarters ERUPTS.

Screaming. Shouting.

"TANKIST, SPEED UP! MAXIMUM SPEED!"

400 meters from the nearest friendly position—he hits a remote mine. ⤵️

12/ The explosion destroys the bike's front wheel. Tankist is thrown to the ground.

Through the smoke, he emerges. His leg filled with pain, he starts hobbling.

"What do I do?" he radios.

"GO! Don't stop! You're strong! We believe in you!" ⤵️

13/ 200 more meters on foot.

Ukrainian defenders sprint out from their position—still in contested territory—to meet him.

They grab Tankist. Pull him to safety.

Miraculously, the mine that destroyed the bike left him unharmed. ⤵️

14/ But he's still deep in a danger zone. The Siversk area requires 6-7km walks just for normal troop rotation.
They need another bike.

Civilians rush to buy one. Same day delivery, through Ukraine's amazing @_novaposhta_ .

Another drone flight through enemy airspace. ⤵️

15/ This time, Tankist gets on and rides for 15 minutes—"felt like half a lifetime," the commander says—to true safety.

All while screaming on radio: "TELL THEM I'M NOT AN ORC! TELL THEM NOT TO SHOOT ME!"

Tankist made it. ⤵️

16/ This is Ukrainian society under fire: drone tech, MacGyver adaptability, & solidarity—friends far from the front rushing to buy a new bike.

Gurzuf Defence designed the Heavy Shot for 20kg bombing runs. But when a brother needs rescue, you push tech beyond its limits. ⤵️

17/ "If you see a strange fundraiser for electric bikes or mono-wheels, don't be surprised," the commander says. "This is how we save lives."

Note: Ukrainians ARE scaling production of robot drones for rescue missions. Efficiency is key but adaptation is embraced. ⤵️

18/ The commander's words stay with me:

"If someone told me we'd deliver a 40kg bicycle by drone through enemy territory to save one man, I'd say it's fantasy.

"But when it's your brother out there, you do the impossible." ⤵️

19/ Incidentally, the word for victory in Ukrainian—peremoha / перемога —literally means "beyond limits" or "beyond ability":

Victory, for Ukrainians, means to do the impossible.

🎥 WATCH: "Ukrainian vs Russian words for 'victory'" ⤵️

20/ If Trump and Zelenskyy agree on a drone partnership, THIS is the type of "beyond limits" ally the US will have.

Thanks to the @DefenderMediaUA team for the tip on the story.

Follow me for daily reports from Ukraine's full-scale resistance to the Russian War Machine. 🧵🎬