Ukraine Drones and Missiles Made “Rear Areas” a Myth—So Russia’s HQs Dig In Underground, Video

Footage circulating online showed what was described as a Russian brigade-level underground command post in a rear area, featuring reinforced corridors, workrooms, communications nodes, ventilation, and living spaces, according to the Company Group Team on February 23. 

In the video, a reporter tours what is described as a unique underground facility where the tunnel network is wide enough for a UAZ vehicle to drive through and, the speakers claim, even tanks could pass.

A commander identified in the footage says the Russian 36th brigade in the “East” grouping is jokingly nicknamed the “metro builders” because it has dug kilometers of tunnels and has gone deeper underground for added protection.

He describes overhead cover of about three meters reinforced with concrete slabs, wooden decking, and packed earth that he says is intended to absorb the effects of air-delivered bombs.

Company Group Team said the images reflect how widespread use of FPV drones and aerial reconnaissance is eroding the distinction between front-line and rear areas, turning command posts into high-priority targets and reviving dispersed underground layouts rather than single bunkers.

Ukraine has also described expanding what its officials call a drone “kill zone” along the front line, using dense layers of reconnaissance and strike drones to detect and hit targets before they reach Ukrainian positions.

The report comes as Ukraine has expanded mid- and long-range strike operations against targets in Russia and Russian-occupied areas using a mix of domestically produced long-range drones and missiles and Western-supplied weapons, including ATACMS and Storm Shadow.

Eventually, it was reported that Ukrainian forces detected Russian troops attempting to use a drainage tunnel under a roadway in the Kharkiv region as a “safe haven,” and then struck the site after monitoring it with drones.

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