---
title: "Ukrainian Drone Operator Roman Dies in Belgium: Body Already Repatriated to Ukraine"
description: "Ukrainian drone operator Roman, who had been transferred to Belgium for treatment of his burns, has died. The body has already been repatriated to Ukraine, announced Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken."
date: 2026-09-13T01:52:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukrainian-drone-operator-roman-died-in-belgium
tags: [ukraine, belgium, drone-operators, military, repatriation, wounded-soldiers]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukrainian Drone Operator Roman Dies in Belgium: Body Already Repatriated to Ukraine

![Repatriation of Ukrainian drone operator Roman's body: soldiers at the ramp of a military transport aircraft on the airfield](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/13/ukrainian-drone-operator-roman-died-in-belgium/ukrainian-drone-operator-roman-died-in-belgium-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Ukrainian drone operator Roman, transferred to Belgium for treatment of his burns, has died there.
- The body of the fallen soldier has already been repatriated to Ukraine, announced Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken.
- According to Francken, this is the first case in which Belgian medical staff failed to save a Ukrainian serviceman.
- Throughout the war, Belgium has been receiving Ukrainian fighters for treatment, including those with severe burns.

A Ukrainian military serviceman — a drone operator named Roman — has died in Belgium. He had been transferred to the kingdom for treatment of his burns. The body of the fallen soldier has already been repatriated to Ukraine. This was announced by Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken in his account on the social network X (Twitter), as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to the minister, Belgian medical staff were unable to save the patient despite all efforts made.

### Statement by the Belgian Defense Minister

“The body of the first Ukrainian warrior to die in Belgium has just been repatriated. Roman. A drone operator. He sustained burns and was transferred to our country. We were unable to save him,” wrote Theo Francken. The minister emphasized that Belgian doctors had previously managed to save Ukrainian servicemen dozens of times, but this time they were unable to save the patient. He concluded his message with the words: “Goodbye, Roman. Glory to the heroes.”

### Belgian Medical Care for Ukrainian Fighters

Throughout the war, Belgium has been receiving Ukrainian servicemen for treatment, including those with severe burns and wounds requiring specialized care. According to Francken, this is not the first time Belgian doctors have fought for the life of a Ukrainian fighter; however, this episode marks the first instance in which treatment did not yield a positive result. Thus, Roman's death became the first recorded fatal outcome among Ukrainian patients undergoing treatment in the kingdom.

### Drone Operators: One of the Most Dangerous Roles

Roman's death once again draws attention to the role of drone operators in modern combat operations. This specialty is considered one of the most demanding and risky: operators work close to the front line, often under direct fire, and it is precisely their wounds and burns that frequently require prolonged inpatient treatment. A number of commentators and observers, including in materials dedicated to the work of Ukrainian drones, describe this profession as “one of the most dangerous in the world,” which is indirectly confirmed by the fact that a drone operator became the first Ukrainian serviceman not to survive treatment in Belgium.

### Legislative Context: Payments During Treatment

Against the backdrop of these events, the issue of social security for servicemen undergoing prolonged treatment remains relevant. Recently, the president signed a law amending the rules for preserving payments to servicemen for the entire period of inpatient treatment and rehabilitation. This decision is aimed at ensuring that fighters undergoing long-term treatment, including abroad, do not lose their entitled payments during recovery, which is especially important for the families and the servicemen themselves who have survived severe injuries.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [First Time Unable to Save: Ukrainian Warrior Dies in Belgium](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/upershe-vdalos-vryatuvati-belgiyi-pomer-ukrayinskiy-1789262495.html) - Первичный пересказ заявления министра обороны Бельгии Тео Франкена в X: имя Роман, оператор дронов, ожоги, репатриация тела, первый летальный случай. Единственный источник факта смерти.
- [Scott Ritter: “This Is the Most Dangerous Job in the World — Ukrainian Drone Operator. They Are Dying in ...”](https://svpressa.ru/war21/article/522182/) - Использован только как контекст о высокой опасности профессии оператора дронов. Пророссийское издание; цитата Риттера не подается как нейтральный факт.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who died in Belgium?
**A:** A Ukrainian military serviceman — a drone operator named Roman — who had been transferred to Belgium for treatment of his burns.

### Q: Who reported the death and repatriation?
**A:** Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken in his account on X (Twitter), as cited by RBC-Ukraine.

### Q: Is this the first case of a Ukrainian serviceman's death in Belgium?
**A:** Yes. According to Francken, Belgian medical staff had previously managed to save Ukrainian fighters dozens of times, but this time they were unable to save the patient — it is the first fatal case.

### Q: What is known about the repatriation of the body?
**A:** The body of the fallen soldier has already been repatriated to Ukraine, announced the Belgian Defense Minister.