Ukrainian Soldiers Rescued by Kyiv’s Special Forces in Miraculous Mission
Angels really do exist.
Four Ukrainian soldiers, who spent the last three years hiding out in a hospital tucked inside Russian-occupied territory, were recently rescued in a miraculous mission by Kyiv’s special forces.
The fighters were hospitalized after being injured on the battlefield in 2022 and remained there concealing their identities as “sympathetic doctors” helped the men avoid capture by Moscow’s troops.
Rescue Operation in Enemy Territory
It’s estimated some 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers are being held captive as prisoners of wars in both Russia and occupied parts of neighboring Ukraine.
“Our boys survived where there seemed to be no chance,” Oleksii Neizhpapa, commander of the Ukrainian Navy, announced on Facebook Friday. “This story is about resilience and faith.”
Neizhpapa, who led the navy’s Angels special forces unit’s daring rescue “from the heart of enemy territory,” said the planning started after a prisoner swap helped uncover information about the men’s whereabouts.
A recently exchanged marine revealed that his twin brother — also in the navy — had been hidden in a hospital after suffering serious injuries in a Russian-controlled territory.
Reunion and Evacuation
“Upon receiving this information, I made the decision to begin special evacuation measures,” said Neizhpapa.
The commander did not disclose the location, or identities, of any of the rescued soldiers, likely for security reasons. Russia controls the region of Luhansk in the southeast, near the border, and has partial control over three other frontline regions — Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — in addition to Crimea which it annexed illegally in 2014.
A video released by Neizhpapa shows the soldier waiting for his rescued brother, whom he hadn’t seen in years.
“I miss him so much,” the marine said. “I’m going to meet him now. It’s not easy to get through something like this.”
It turned out that along with the twin brother, three other soldiers from the National Guard of Ukraine were also in secret hiding in the hospital after also sustaining injuries on the frontline.
All four, along with a medical worker who helped stash the soldiers, were evacuated.
Angels Unit and Rescue Missions
The Angels unit, established in 2022 to save Ukrainian civilians and military from behind enemy lines, has rescued 88 people over the course of the lengthy conflict.
