UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Aug 15 — Service members of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade rescued Maciej, a Polish civilian who got lost in the combat zone near Vovchansk, reported Ukrainian media Armia TV. 

Vovchansk is a city north of the Kharkiv Oblast, located 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border. In 2024, Russia launched a new offensive north of Kharkiv. In Vovchansk, clashes are still ongoing.

Maciej planned to visit his friend’s grave in a cemetery in one of the settlements near Vovchansk. He was using a GPS navigator that routed him through the frontline.

Enzhy, a platoon commander who helped rescue Maciej said the Polish man had been driving a car in an area where even Ukrainian soldiers aren’t allowed to go, because it’s practically the zero line.

“He got lucky. I don’t know how he survived there,” said Enzhy.

Maciej thought the destroyed cars in this area had been there since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022. He parked his car in the bushes and walked 15 kilometers through the forest.

“When I got out of the car and saw drones, and heard Russian being spoken in a house nearby, I realized it was going to be a problem,” Maciej said.

Read more 

  • ISW: Ukrainian forces advanced in central Vovchansk, north of Kharkiv Oblast

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