Heartstopping moment a brave Aussie soldier risks his own life to try to save a fellow comrade in Ukraine

The extraordinary moment an Aussie soldier risked his life by running through intense drone fire in Ukraine to save his mate has been captured on camera.

Ukraine’s International Legion, which is made up of foreign volunteers, released GoPro footage featuring an Australian solider named ‘Dave’ recalling a horrific incident in which his unit were attacked in the trenches by Russian drone strikes last year. 

The footage was released last week as part one of a documentary which showed a three-day defensive operation following Russia’s offensive to take over the Pervomaiske region in April 2024.

Dave was the squad leader of the Chosen Company, a unit within the legion comprising of highly skilled tactical soldiers which led the operation. 

The documentary showed the Aussie soldier recalling the frightening incident following his unit’s attempt to relieve some friendly forces. 

Dave’s helmet had a GoPro strapped to it, which captured the heartstopping moment the unit realised they had come under fire from Russian forces. 

After leading the unit from a bunker house to a trench, the soldiers are attacked by suicide drones. 

‘That just hit the building!  Dave shouted as one drone strikes near the group. ‘Let’s go!’

 ‘We have to move! Go inside! Get the f***inside!’

‘F**king hell,’ Dave can be heard yelling as another strikes near them.

‘We need to f**king get back.’

One of the soldiers, who is referred to as Swede, can be heard coughing up blood after being hit in the torso by shrapnel. 

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

‘It happened so quickly and we all decided…we are not combat ready anymore.’

The Aussie ordered his unit to return to the bunker house.

But after returning to safety, he realised Swede and two other soldiers were left behind.

‘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 recalled.

In the GoPro footage, the Aussie leader can be heard telling his unit he has ‘to go back out there’.

‘Myself and two other dudes went out across the open field again,’ Dave explained.

The trio reached the Swede and the two other soldiers and placed the injured solider on a makeshift stretcher. 

‘We get closer and another round lands between us and the house,’ Dave said.

Dave and the other soldiers were forced to drop Swede 20 metres from the bunker house before coming back out to get him. 

He explained the medic performed CPR on the Swede, but was unable to save him.   

Despite the heartbreaking end, viewers who watched the documentary on YouTube were quick to praise Dave as a legend.

‘Dave is the epitome if a leader, a man, a warrior, and a true believer for a cause. Salute to these brave courageous soldiers on both sides because war is hell ,’ one viewer commented.

Another added: ‘The amount of bravery it takes to go through this hell and share the story with us. My respect to you guys. All of you.’

A third wrote: ‘Good on ya Dave for showing the spirit of the ANZAC still lives on.’

A Swedish viewer wrote: ‘As a Swede, it is hard to watch – thank you for getting him back home and thank you for your brave service.’

There are an estimated 200 Australians fighting for Ukraine

At least seven feared dead since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The latest Aussie feared dead is Caleb List, 25, from Gladstone in central Queensland, who’s believed to have died last month after being hit with artillery fire in a contested territory near the city of Izyum, in the Kharkiv region.

The news comes as Russia sentenced an Australian citizen to 13 years in a maximum-security prison for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.

Oscar Jenkins, 33, was found guilty by a court for taking part in an armed conflict as a mercenary, a statement from prosecutors said on Friday.

The court had ruled he had taken part in combat operations against Russian troops between March and December 2024.