Four Ukrainian soldiers walked free this week after hiding in a hospital on Russian-controlled territory for over three years.

The rescue by naval special forces unit “Angels” marks one of the longest documented cases of military personnel surviving in enemy territory.

The operation began when Presidential Commissioner for Military Personnel Rights Olha Reshetylova learned about a Marine Corps serviceman’s twin brother. The marine had been severely wounded during 2022 fighting in eastern Ukraine and ended up in a hospital, where doctors concealed him from Russian security forces.

But he wasn’t alone. Three National Guard soldiers had also been sheltering in the same facility since 2022, according to Naval Forces Commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa.

The multi-phase operation required careful planning due to several complicating factors.

• All personnel were in illegal status on occupied territory (didn’t accept Russian documents)
• active combat operations continued in the area
• Russian special services had intensified filtration procedures (systematic identity checks, interrogations, and searches used to identify people with pro-Ukrainian loyalties).

Neizhpapa said the primary goal was eliminating immediate threats to the servicemen’s lives. The hospital had provided cover for three years, but the situation couldn’t continue indefinitely.

The successful mission extracted the marine, three National Guard fighters, and one hospital medical worker who had assisted in concealing the military personnel. 

Neizhpapa did not provide any other specifics of how the operation was conducted to return these fighters home.