Battlefield Evacuation Rescue Drones

"The injury tore off half of my foot, so a lot of blood was lost already."

"I think if that incredible little bird hadn't flown in, well, getting out from there would have been unrealistic."

"From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful that they actually flew in and picked me up."

"I think this needs to be developed and expanded because we have a lot of guys who cannot get out of the situations they find themselves in."

"Having to walk very many kilometres with that level of shelling that is going on, whether walking yourself or carrying a wounded person -- let's just say making it out of there is not very likely"

24-yr-old Ukrainian serviceman with call name of 'Izyum' 

Izyum being helped to the drone.  Courtesy of SkyFall

 

Ukrainian technology company SkyFall developed a drone intended to reduce rescue times from hours to minutes on the battlefield. Drones capable of reaching hard-to-access combat zones where unmanned ground vehicles are currently in use. The drone in question was designed for the specific purpose of evacuating injured soldiers from high-risk areas where heavy artillery fire and hostile drone activity guarantees dangerous rescue operations.

 

These specialized serial rescue drones for the evacuation of wounded battlefield soldiers are now in use by the Ukraine military. So far, in two instances representing a rescue rehearsal in real time, two stranded troops were  brought to safety from near the Russian border in the initial operation to test the utility of these specialized drones. Both were resounding successes. 

 

Up to the present, Ukrainian ingenuity in technical design and production has seen the world introduced to drone warfare where these products have been refined, their purpose more specific and elaborate, for communication, dropping food, medicine, and ammunition to awaiting recipients, taking real-time videos to relay back to command posts, and as lethal weapons dropping explosives on enemy positions. Now that entrepreneurial genius has produced life-saving evacuation drones.

 

StarGate is a heavy hexacopter developed by SkyFall.  Courtesy of SkyFall

 

The new StarGate drone is a six-rotor aircraft fitted out with an enclosed evacuation capsule. According to the 475th Separate Assault Regiment, two separate missions in the past week proved the successful design will be a true life-saving addition to the Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian invaders. Izyum had been wounded and then had no option but to wait for two days for an evacuation. Unable to walk the 20 kilometres from the combat zone, he was the second drone rescue. 

 

Landing in a field with tall grass tangled with fibre-optic spool cable, the drone with its orange-and-black cigar-shaped stretcher could have become entangled and immediately put out of commission. That scenario did not develop, however, and the rescue mission succeeded; a flight that lasted under 15 minutes before the soldier was brought to safety and medical attention. 

 

The soldier rescued in the first mission, who goes by his call sign Kolobok, crawls to the drone.  Courtesy of SkyFall

 

The drone had been tested for several weeks before being deployed to the battlefield by the 475th regiment, known as Code 9.2. Both rescued men had sustained "severe limb injuries and were at positions in the grey zone, approximately five kilometres from the state border with Russia", a strip of territory that separated Ukrainian and Russian forces. 

 

The drone is capable of carrying 330 pounds, equipped with signal jammers and autonomous navigation to counter Russian electronic warfare systems, according to its manufacturer. SkyFall has plans to design and produce a dedicated unit for the rescue drones, and with it, providing pilots and deployment specialists. "Service members who weren't sure if they would ever make it out of the positions are now able to return home and hug their children", a SkyFall representative explained. 

 

Ukrainian forces used the new StarGate drone to pull off two daring rescue missions in October. Courtesy of SkyFall

 

Cleansing World Sports of Politics -- Or Not

Ivan Zalisko of Ukraine celebrates his bronze-medal win against Islam Aslanovitch Kazharov of Russia in the74-kilogram freestyle division at the U20 world wresting championship August 23 in Bratislava Slovakia.

 

"Athletes can only inspire us if they are able to compete." 

"They can only do so if we keep sport strictly neutral ground, if politics does not take over on the field of play."

IOC president Kirsty Coventry

 

"Any conversation about returning Russian athletes to the international arena can only happen after the war ends, a just peace is established, every single abducted Ukrainian child is returned home, and international law is fully restored."

"Until that moment, isolation is not political -- it is a matter of basic human decency."

Ukraine Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi

 

"The boycott agenda of the '80s very nearly destroyed the Olympic movement."

"Eventually, the politicians began to understand that maybe it was a good idea for the world to come together through sport."

"Over the last decade, politicians have again turned to using sport as a tool to sanction, declaring who can and who cannot participate."

"I have argued in my book Fast Tracks and Dark Deals, that the biggest single threat facing the future of sport is the growing political weaponization of sport." 

Michael Payne former IOC marketing chief  

According to IOC president Kirsty Coventry, "politics does not take over on the field of play". Ukraine has other ideas. Along with former IOC executives who feel that politics and sport, on the record, remain inseparable. In the Youth Olympics that began Saturday in the Senegalese capital Dakar, Ukrainian and Russian athletes competing against one another may test Coventry's stated direction. Is it not political, after all, when 13 Russian athletes parade with the national flag and their national anthem is played at an Olympic event for the first time in six years? 

 

The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) officially opened on Saturday 31 October 2026, marking the first Olympic sporting event ever held on the African continent.  Sport Europe

 

Ukraine has chosen not to boycott sporting events that Russia has competed in, choosing instead to meet their Russian opponents straight on during sport events that see them competing against one another. The idea is to challenge their Russian competitors on the field of sport just as their Ukrainian military counterparts meet their Russian opponents on the field of conflict, knowing that all things being equal their chances of overcoming the adversity that the Russians represent are magnified by their emotional 

response to the violence imposed upon them by a traditional Russian warmonger.

 

There was a hugely successful boycott when the 1975 Montreal Games highlighted a multilateral campaign to isolate apartheid South African from world sport. It was the Canadian Conservative government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney that brought the matter of South African apartheid to a head, campaigning against that most basic corruption of human rights. The time had long passed when a European country could with impunity occupy another less-economically-developed nation and rule it as they saw fit, declaring he indigenous population inferior and reaping the benefits of natural resources not their own. 

  

Ukrainian Ivan Zalisko became the bronze medalist of the U20 World Cup in freestyle wrestling

 

The ideal of sports bringing countries together as one huge family celebrating athletics and competition whereby those that excel in their techniques, athleticism, performance level and professional expertise to be declared champions, does have expectations that enthusiasm for sport can overcome national hostilities. The very fact that North and South Korea, even while technically at war paraded in unison at the Sydney Games in 2000, fielding a joint ice hockey team at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang was enlightening entertainment, but once the festivities were concluded, the divided states were no closer to peace than previously.

 

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, whose standards are clearly not that of the IOC's Coventry,  stands accused of crossing the line in sport and national neutrality given his personal alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump, awarding him the FIFA Peace Prize. "It was a fake award with no public criteria, jury or process. I think that changed the perception of FIFA from working with a political leader to endorsing one. That's not neutrality", observed former IOC marketing executive Terrence Burns. 

 

Perhaps it was that very close relationship with President Trump, and his soft spot for Russia, refusing to condemn Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine and causing over a million conflict deaths among Russian servicemen alone in the process, that convinced Infantino to open FIFA completely to Russia where it is competing at the under-15 football world cup this month. The ban on the country, he stated. has not "achieved anything, it has just created more frustrations and hatred". 

 

Olga Kharlan won Ukraine's first medal at the Paris Olympics. "It's special because it's for my country. It's for people in Ukraine, it's for defenders [soldiers], it's for athletes who couldn't come here because they were killed by Russia."

"[Globally speaking,] sport has never been separate from politics."

"When I heard anyone use that phrase it sounds naive at best and cynical at worst."

"The real principle is neutrality. The Olympic movement only works if it stays independent of governments."

"Sport opens doors but it can't make anyone walk through them. Still, I think an open door is worth a great deal when every other one is shut." 

"The lesson is that a boycott works when it is sustained, collective, and aimed squarely at the wrongdoer." 

Former International Olympic Committee marketing executive Terrence Burns 

In Deep Community Appreciation

"Constable Jeff Smith is] recovering well at home."

"Constable Smith and his family remain incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support shown by the community and beyond over the past several weeks. Every well wish and message of encouragement has been sincerely appreciated."

"Regarding return to work question, right now, the priority is his recovery. We are encouraged by his progress and are pleased that he is able to recover surrounded by the support of family and loved ones." 

Belleville Police Service 

Belleville Police Service officer Const. Jeff Smith, left, with his wife, Ashley, right, and their children. (Ashley Smith/Facebook)

 

 Constable Smith, a 13-year veteran of the Belleville Police Service, was stationed in an unmarked police car outside the Belleville Sons of Jacob Synagogue on September 20, during a Yom Kippur service. A former member of the Canadian Military Force had scoped out the area where he had planned to mount an attack against the synagogue, noting the presence of Constable Smith. On his second round preparing to launch his attack, he came from behind the constable, shouting "You're going to die for the Jews", and shot the seated man. 

 

Several minutes later, another Belleville Police officer came on the scene, Constable Michael McCurdy, to join Constable Smith who despite his serious injuries, shot in the head and the back, had emerged from his vehicle to stop the attacker, 29-year-old Sean Ward. The two officers succeeded in their mission to apprehend what would have been a slaughter had the attacker entered the synagogue with its 25 congregants at prayer. Sean Ward was taken to hospital where he died a day later of the gunshot wounds he had sustained.

 

Constable McCurdy had not been injured in the exchange of gunfire. His colleague, Constable Smith remained in hospital for a number of surgeries addressing his critical injuries, for a month, before finally being released to continue his recovery at home. The event shook the already frail sense of security in the Jewish community, targeted by a viral wave of antisemitism following the Palestinian terror attack that took place in southern Israel three years earlier on 7 October 2023, when thousands of terrorists led by Hamas stormed across the border from Gaza to launch a horrifically savage mass atrocity of rape and slaughter.

 

Police officers talk near the scene of a shooting where a police officer was shot outside a Yom Kippur gathering at Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, September 21, 2026.

(photo credit: REUTERS/PATRICK DOYLE)

 

The courage and determination of the two Belleville police officers shone a badly-needed ray of hope among the Jewish community in the city that radiated outward to embrace the regional, provincial and Canada-wide Jewish community, left reeling after years of public demonstrations by anti-Israel campaigners from the radicalized Muslim community in Canada led by Palestinian students, fuelled by cash from abroad that attracted the support of Canadian academia, unions and far-left groups.

 

The Canadian Jewish community was quick to launch fundraising campaigns to benefit the two police officers. The fundraising campaign for severely wounded Jeff Smith raised an amount just shy of $1 million: $969,110, meant to help the family pay for any costly medical equipment, healing therapeutic requirements he may require, and associated medications. The fundraising campaign for officer Michael McCurdy, thanking him for having "prevented a deliberate, hate-motivated attack on the city's Jewish community from becoming a mass-casualty event", has raised $58,400.  

"Jeff, we wish you strength, healing and peace as you begin this next stage of your recovery."

"We hope you and your family can take some comfort in knowing that thousands of Canadians continue to stand beside you."

Campaign organizer, Derek Kreindler  

Sons of Jacob Synagogue President Norm Weddum sits next to a sign thanking Belleville police officers Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 in Belleville, Ont. Luke Hendry /The Belleville Intelligencer

  

An Active and Ongoing Investigation

"This is a very active and ongoing investigation. While we don’t have any detailed suspect information at this time, I can assure you that we are doing our best to provide information to you with regard to the potential three suspects that we are aware of at this time."

"Typically in an affluent neighborhood come nice things, and there are always people out there that want to acquire nice things. And carjackings used to be a way that criminals would acquire cars. That seems to have transitioned into breaking into a home to steal a vehicle [but not in this case]."

"Once inside, they confronted the family. A struggle ensued during this altercation, in which the suspects fired their guns multiple times and one victim was struck with a hammer." 

Toronto Police Service Inspector Kristy Smith, investigative unit Hold Up Squad  

Toronto police at the scene of the incident. CBC News: The National/ Youtube

 

The violent home invasion in Toronto's Bridle Path neighbourhood occurred as three masked men forced their way into the house owned by Toronto real estate CEO David Morton his wife and their two daughters. The men were armed with guns and a hammer and made their appearance at around 4:00 a.m. on Thursday. On entering the home the three thugs went directly to the second floor bedrooms where they confronted the residents, 75-year-old David Morton, his wife Doriana Zohil-Morton, 64, and their adult daughters Maggie and Cristina Zohil-Morton.

 

The residents attempted to defend themselves from the armed masked marauders and in the melee that erupted all four of the residents were badly injured, repeatedly shot and bludgeoned with the hammer. Mrs. Zohil-Morton and one of her daughters received non-life-threatening injuries, but her husband and a second daughter were in what was described as suffering from life-altering injuries. 

 

Photos of David Morton and Doriana Zohil-Morton. CITYNEWS/Supplied

 

Listed as the CEO of the MAC Group, a real estate services company, David Morton's profile describes him as having been a graduate of the Hospitality and Tourism program at Toronto Metropolitan University (then-Ryerson Institute before the name change). Wife Doriana Zohil-Morton is president of the MAC Group, their daughter Maggie, a graduate of Queen's University, with a master of arts in health promotion from Dalhousie works in sales, operations and marketing at the company. Daughter Christina founded Zohil-Morton Law practise with a focus on immigration. 

 

Police released descriptions of the three suspects warning they are armed and dangerous. All three had worn dark clothing and face masks. All three are described as being in their 20s. One of the intruders, a Black man, had been injured in the cross-fire of the house invasion, shot by one of his colleagues. He had taken himself to hospital to be treated for his wound, and was reported by the hospital to the police. Who picked him up, questioned him, and then released him. The search for the other two is ongoing.  

 

Police tape blocking off the entrance to the Bridle Path home. CBC News: The National/ Youtube

 

Toronto mayor Olivia Chow expressed her sympathies on X, "My thoughts are with the family and their loved ones, who are going through something no family should have to face. I am praying for their full recovery", she wrote. She may be aware that this is a Jewish family; she could give a master class in hypocrisy. Jewish Torontonians have no reason to believe that this mayor of all the people with the exception of the Jewish community, really cares one whit about the safety and security of that segment of the population. Her sanctimonious hypocrisy is highlighted against her record of neglect of Jewish safety in Toronto.

 

For that matter, crime has skyrocketed in the city overalls, and the mayor and the Toronto Police Service appear to have made little effort in bringing down the incidence of violent crimes. Their lack of diligence to the growing problem even as they are aware that criminal gangs prey on residents in home invasions and vehicle thefts requires action, speaks volumes about their incompetence. But then, this is the same mayor and police force that does nothing when Jews in the city are harassed and threatened by 'pro-Palestinian' mobs whose public utterances of racist threats have inspired viral antisemitism to new levels of deliberate terrorism. 

Russia, A Perpetrator of Odious War Crimes

"How many such terrorist strikes has Russia carried out against our people since sanctions were lifted on some Russian oligarchs and the energy sector, instead of de-escalating?"

"These are deliberate strikes against civilians, brazen in their cruelty, and the Russians are carrying them out right as the humanitarian operation in Oleshky is unfolding."

"We need diplomacy to move forward."

"[Our pressing issues are] protecting our power grid from Russian attacks before winter, more U.S.made Patriot air-defence interceptors [to counter Russia's ballistic missiles] and more financial support from our allies abroad."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 

Emergency employees work at a railway station hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipro, Ukraine October 29, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

 

At least 14 people were killed and many more wounded Thursday when a Russian drone crashed into a busy railway station platform in Dnipro. This, even while Russia and Ukraine struggle to with a fragile local ceasefire in Oleshky a ravaged city under Russian occupation since 2022, where residents have for months faced severe shortages of food, water and medicine. The third day of the truce passed, but elsewhere Moscow continued its bombing of Ukraine.

 

Ukrainian emergency services released images of bodies lying on the railway platform with rescuers helping victims to safety amidst two burnt-out passenger trains, windows shattered. The strike hit a platform "where a regular commuter train and a regular passenger train were standing", said an outraged Zelenskyy. Russia has, since the first days of its February 2022 invasion, fired drones on trains across Ukraine, in the process destroying hundreds of locomotives and killing railway workers. 

 

Still from Video

 

Three jet-powered drones had been intercepted by the Ukrainian air force in the daytime attack; a fourth evaded air defences and slammed into the station. The attack, infuriating Ukraine's president, brought him back to his grievance over U.S. President Trump's catering to Vladimir Putin, easing some sanctions to allow Moscow the release of diesel oil as a placatory measure, into global markets.

 

Another strike in Chernigiv, north of Kyiv, hit the city centre, killing two 15-year-old girls, and wounding close to two dozen other civilians, including four children. A multi-storey residential building in the central city of Kremenchuk was also hit by a drone, where three people died and many others were wounded. These strikes all represent war crimes. Under international rules of conflict, military strikes against civilian populations are prohibited. 

 

A paramedic and police officers carry a person wounded at a railway station platform hit by a Russian drone. Reuters

 

One Count of Offence Motivated by Hatred

"While I wanted to draw attention to the incident, I wanted to focus more on their response."

"These kids are warriors ... Instead of fear and intimidation, these kids have responded with courage and pride and that's what our community needs right now." 

"I'm furious [that the community had to] deal with this garbage. [It made my] blood boil [but I felt] unbelievable pride [in my daughters and their friends]."

Father of two Jewish Western University students 

Police have charged a 56-year-old London man. (Michelle Both/CBC)

 

London, Ontario has become yet another antisemitic hotspot for Canadian Jews beleaguered since 7 October 2023, by festering, viral hatred from unions, university student groups, far-left anti-social groups and in particular the combustible spark that lit these fires, Palestinian students studying in Canadian universities with funding from abroad enabling them to launch never-ending anti-Israel protests that champion Palestinian terrorist groups as 'liberators' from 'occupation'. 

 

Two Jewish students in the city attending Western University, and living in university housing specifically for a majority of Jewish students off campus in downtown London were witness to an incident where a man from a local construction site used a commercial chemical oil-based spray to draw a large Nazi swastika on the ground before their housing complex. His actions were viewed by many, including non-Jews in the neighbourhood, some of whom took videos of the occurrence.

 

The father of the two students who reported the event to news media, mentioned in very particular how buoyed he felt over the fact that non-Jewish neighbourhood allies gave their full support to the Jewish students over the hateful outrage. He posted a video of the event to Instagram of the swastika drawn next door to his daughters' home.   

"To those who believe they can frighten Jewish students into hiding their identity, I've got news for you. You're dealing with the wrong generation."

"[Rather than victims] our kids are growing up to be warriors."

"Warriors of courage. Warriors of conviction."

Jewish father  

Ring camera footage captured by a property on St. George Street in downtown London shows a man drawing a swastika onto the surface of a gravel parking lot. (Submitted by Darren Slavens)

 

A police statement described having been informed that a man "completing construction work" in the city had used workplace equipment to create the hateful Nazi symbol. Nearby residents who had taken photographs and videos of the incident as it unfolded, provided police with the evidence required to track down the identity of the man and apprehend him with commission of a criminal act.

 

Which led to the arrest on October 23 of a 56-year-old resident of London who was charged with one count of offence motivated by hatred.  

"Chabad at Western's Rabbis arrived on the scene within minutes to support Jewish students and ensure they felt safe and cared for."

"They immediately contacted the London Police Service and the hate crime unit to help emphasize the urgency and seriousness of the incident, contributing to a swift police response."

Local Jewish groups joint statement 

 

Canada's Globe-Trotting Prime Minister Visits The Middle East : Addled or Evil?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara last week. Photo by ADEM ALTAN /AFP via Getty Images

 

"As NATO Allies, Canada and Turkiye are bound together by shared values: human rights, individual liberties, democracy and the rule of law."

Prime Minister Mark Carney, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joint statement 

 

"[Canada could not defend the gay rights of its own citizens other than as a] truly sovereign nation."

"[Sovereign nationhood requires a] broad range  of partnerships." 

"The engagement in those partnerships does not mean approval." 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

 

"Saudi nationals and foreigners have been sentenced to lengthy jail sentences for social media activities, including posts or simple 'likes'."

"This included social media activity that took place outside Saudi Arabia and sometimes many years in the past."

Canada's Global Affairs, travel warning to Canadians 

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, speaks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrives at the Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, July 9, 2026. Adrian Wyld (The Canadian Press)

 

Back in the summer of 2026, Canada's Prime Minister Carney decided on a trip to Saudi Arabia which his office lauded as "the first visit to the country by a Canadian Prime Minister in 26 years". In his zeal to reach out to prospective trade partners in the midst of a prolonged trade war with American President Donald Trump, Mr. Carney has sought out potential trade partners. In a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon, Mr. Carney enthused over a "partnership ... based on trust, friendship and a shared vision of confronting global challenges with pragmatic, swift and tangible cooperation", in Jeddah.  

 

First was a trip to China in January where meeting with Premier Xi Jinping in Beijing, Canada's premier praised the People's Republic of China as a partner in a "new world order". How quickly and conveniently is forgotten the Canadian Parliament's censure of China over its cultural genocide of the Uyghurs. Meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Mr. Carney said effusively "The world has changed much since that last visit (by previous PM Jean Chretien) and I believe the progress that we have made, and the partnership, sets us up well for the new world order." Followed by a joint statement pledging closer "law enforcement cooperation" between Beijing and Canada.

 

Both China and Canada are looking to strengthen trade ties amid Trump's tariffs

 

These trips were followed up more recently by trips to Qatar and Turkey, both allies of the terrorist group Hamas, proscribed as such on Canada's official terrorist list. Doha has been the locale of the official political office of Hamas for over a decade. Only two weeks before Mr. Carney's visit to Turkey, a Hamas delegation was hosted by Turkey's foreign Minister, where President Erdogan praised Hamas as a "group of liberators". 

 

Canada, through the outreach of its latest prime minister, has chosen ostensible trade partners in a strange coalition where both Qatar and Turkey according to the Global Slavery Index, are both involved in slave labour. "Turkey has up to 1.3 million people living in modern slavery". Rights organizations accused Qatar of constructing its venue of the 2022 World Cup with migrant forced labour. Unenviable human rights abuse practices, glossed over by a Western democracy that prides itself on its defence of human rights.

 

Qatar was graced by a visit with Mr. Carney in January, and a three-day visit to Turkey wrapped up last week. During the Carney visit to Turkey a government crackdown took place on gay rights organizations. According to Human Rights Watch, infractions such as a social media post of two men embracing could result in raids on gay rights non-profits and the arrests of staff. Global Affairs Canada signed a letter by the Equal Rights Coalition that denounced the persecution of LGBTIQ+ activists ... "under the pretext of protecting children, adolescents, or the family". 

"Qatar is an effective, expansive, and increasing diplomatic force in the world today."

"[Looking forward to a] future marked by even deeper cooperation and prosperity, that is strengthened by mutual trust, close friendship and a common vision for advancing the partnership between the two friendly nations." 

Prime Minister Mark Carney 

Carney is greeted by Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as he arrives to Amiri Diwan in Doha, Qatar. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)