Moment Aussie in Ukraine runs through drone strikes to try save mate

GoPro footage has captured the extraordinary moment an Aussie soldier charges directly into drone fire during an ambush in a heroic bid to save his mate.

Extraordinary trench footage has captured the intense moment an Australian soldier ran through relentless drone fire in Ukraine to try and save his mate.

Last week, Ukraine’s International Legion, which is made from foreign volunteers, released part one of a documentary which follows the three-day operation following Russia’s push to take over the Pervomaiske region in April last year.

The documentary features an Australian soldier named “Dave” who was the squad leader of the Chosen Company, a unit within the Foreign Legion made up of top-tier tactical soldiers.

In the video, Dave retells a horrific incident during the operation where his unit tried to relieve some friendly forces, only to be battered with Russian drone strikes.

Australian soldier “Dave” who was the squad leader of the Chosen Company. Picture: Youtube

GoPro footage from Dave’s helmet showed how he led the unit from a bunker house out to a trench, before the group starts being peppered by suicide drones.

“F**king hell,” Dave can be heard yelling as one drone strikes near them.

“We need to f**king get back.”

Half of the unit in the trench were injured. Picture: YouTube

One of the soldiers – who’s nickname is Swede – gets hit in the torso by shrapnel and starts coughing up blood, with two others also sustaining injuries.

“Within five minutes of us going into this trench in this offensive half the team has already gotten injured,” Dave said.

“It happened so quickly and we all decided…we are not combat ready anymore.”

Dave orders the group back to the bunker house, however, upon reaching safety, realises Swede and two other soldiers have been left behind.

A drone strikes just five metres ahead of them trying to get back to the bunker house. Picture: Youtube

“I yell to them like ‘hey guys you have to run you have to run’ but realise one of them must be unable to walk,” Dave said.

In GoPro footage, Dave can be heard saying: “I’m going to have to go back out there.”

“Myself and two other dudes went out across the open field again,” Dave said.

Dave reaches the group who are able to put Swede on a makeshift stretcher.

“We get closer and another round lands between us and the house,” Dave said.

The strikes continue to hit around them as they try and get back to the house. Picture: YouTube

The group are forced to drop Swede about 20 metres from the house and shelter, before coming out to get him.

“The medic tried doing CPR on him but he was already gone,” Dave said.

In the comments many were quick to praise Dave for his effective leadership.

“I just want to say as an Australian, Dave is a legend,” one commenter wrote on the documentary’s YouTube channel.

Another wrote: “Dave is a bloody war master, his battlefield awareness is unbelievable. So many times he saved his team members and his own life from his quick and effective actions. What an Aussie legend.”

An estimated 200 Australians are still fighting for Ukraine, with at least seven feared dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

This week, DFAT said a Queensland man who was also fighting with Ukraine’s International Legion was feared dead after he was reported missing in the country’s Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian officials said Caleb List, 25, was reported missing last month after his unit came under artillery fire near Izyum, which Russia has regularly bombarded since launching its invasion three years ago.

They stressed they could not comment on Mr List’s fate without a body.

But a Ukrainian military source said it was “unlikely” he was alive and “almost impossible” to retrieve a body in the area at the moment.

The Prime Minister on Wednesday said the reports were “deeply troubling” and again urged Australians not to travel to Ukraine.

“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of the gentlemen concerned,” Anthony Albanese said from Perth.

“DFAT are working in the way that they do to make sure the proper notifications are occurring.”

Mr List told SBS in 2023 that he joined the Ukrainian war effort after being knocked back by the Australian Defence Force, saying “he tried a couple of attempts to get in there”.

“For obvious reasons, I got rejected – just a bit young and dumb, made some bad choices,” he said.

“I wanted something new … I was sick of the job, I was sick of just being a labourer.”

He was working at Queensland’s Yarwun refinery before leaving for Ukraine.

- with NCA Newswire

Originally published as Moment Aussie in Ukraine runs through drone strikes to try save mate