Ukrainian forces strike elite Russian 'Rubicon' drone unit in occupied territory
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Ukraine struck a base for the elite Russian "Rubicon" drone unit deep in occupied territory, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces announced on Nov. 9.
"This operation once again proves that there is no safe rear for Russian occupiers," the Southern Defense Forces said.
The Southern Defense Forces, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU), Ukraine's Security Service, and the 412th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment carried out a joint operation to attack a Rubicon base in the occupied city of Berdyansk, in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The base was located 107 kilometers (66 miles) behind the front lines.
According to Ukraine's General Staff, the attack took place on Nov. 7, and a Rubicon temporary deployment point and a drone control point were hit.
"The enemy's losses are still being clarified, but the effect is already evident: each disabled control point means fewer Russian drones over our positions and roads," the General Staff said.
The Rubicon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies is a sprawling Russian drone unit and the core of Russia's Unmanned Systems branch of the military. The unit specializes in cutting off logistics, hunting Ukrainian drone teams on the ground, and intercepting high-value reconnaissance and strike drones, and is made up of detachments, each numbering several hundred personnel.
In September, Russia pulled Rubicon units from the front line in northern Donetsk Oblast after suffering heavy losses during Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi offensive.
In the latest strike, Rubicon "lost trained specialists who were engaged in training operators and passed on their experience to others," the Southern Defense Forces said. Footage of the attack shows Ukrainian drones hitting multiple locations around a building complex reportedly serving as a base for Rubicon.
Over recent months, Ukrainian drone units dramatically expanded strikes on Russian targets from 35 kilometers to 300 kilometers (22 miles to 186 miles) behind the zero line. The strikes in this "middle range" aim to disrupt the Russian military's logistics.
Over spring and summer 2026, backed by refined technology and a surge of state procurement, Ukraine's elite drone units dramatically expanded their middle strikes, both in scope and in scale.
