Ukrainian Forces Destroy Russian “Rubikon” Drone Tech Hub in Donetsk Region

Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) released footage showing the strike on a logistics base of the secret Russian drone technology center, "Rubikon," in the temporarily occupied town of Mangush, Donetsk region, carried out by Middle-strike units on the night of April 17.

According to a statement from the SSO shared via Telegram, the attack resulted in explosions and large-scale fires at the site.

“Rubikon” is involved in deploying nearly all available Russian strike and reconnaissance drones against Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces, with the exception of “Shahed/Gheran” drones, as reported by the Special Operations Forces.

The Russian unit is known to utilize a variety of drones, including conventional and fiber-optic FPV drones, as well as strike drones like “Molniya” and “Lancet,” reconnaissance drones such as ZALA, “Orlan,” SuperCam, and even maritime drones.

“The destruction and damage to the enemy's logistical centers significantly reduce their combat effectiveness,” the statement read.

This is not the first time Ukraine's Special Operations Forces have targeted Russian military infrastructure in temporarily occupied regions. On February 17, they successfully struck a storage site for an Iskander missile system and a remote piloting station of the “Rubikon” unit, according to the Special Operations Forces' report.

The strikes, conducted with FP-2 drones, targeted rear and operational facilities of Russian forces in temporarily occupied territories. The strikes were carried out in the village of Pasichne in Crimea, where a storage facility for the operational-tactical Iskander missile system was hit, resulting in powerful explosions.

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Additionally, the remote piloting post of the “Rubikon” unit was destroyed in the village of Vysoke in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, with multiple drones reaching their target.

A few days before the strike, on February 15, a Russian soldier who claims to have served in the elite “Rubikon” drone unit of the Russian Armed Forces reportedly defected to Ukraine, providing valuable insights into the unit's structure and operations.

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