By Olha Hembik | 2025-08-15

WARSAW -- From hidden bunkers to makeshift field posts, Ukraine's drone operators are in Russia's crosshairs. Ukrainian officials say Moscow has formed a special unit called Rubicon to track them down. Russian forces have typically targeted logistics and command nodes, but Kyiv contends operators themselves are now a focus.

In a July interview with RBC-Ukraine, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said his agency's mission "is to enable remote operation [of drones] as much as possible and eventually implement autonomy."

In time, he said, artificial intelligence (AI) could "remove human operators from frontline positions," keeping them out of harm's way.

"The goal is for an operator to control a battlefield drone from any city in the country," he explained, adding that service members are already using AI to decode imagery and real-time transmissions, identify targets and guide first-person view (FPV) drones.

High-priority unit

Serhii Beskrestnov, a military expert in communications and electronic warfare, first heard of Russia's Rubicon unit in October 2024, although its advanced unmanned technologies center was established that summer.

Rubicon includes combat teams, an analytics hub, a center for developing unmanned and ground-based robotic systems and a department training instructors in innovative drone tactics.

"The center operates under the personal supervision of the Russian defense minister and enjoys top priority in supply allocations. Its ranks are comprised of select personnel," Beskrestnov told Kontur.

Based on frontline reconnaissance, Rubicon's missions are high-priority and "must be carried out before all others." The center's special groups target Ukrainian drone operators.

Its arsenal includes long-range FPV drones, fiber-optic and anti-aircraft drones and strike models such as the Lancet and Molniya.

Russian anti-drone tactics

A first sergeant with the call sign Archie, from the 49th Separate Assault Battalion Carpathian Sich, said Russian troops in the Rubicon unit are specially trained to counter Ukrainian drone pilots.

"They come in and create problems for the pilots, taking out our 'eyes,' eliminating our bombers so their infantry can come in," Archie told Channel 5 on July 21.

He said the unit has better support and higher-quality flights than others, making it highly effective.

While some enemy drones miss or detonate early, he said Rubicon's performance is "something else entirely," felt in Ukrainian casualties.

A serviceman known as Magician, from AlterEgo Rbns, which operates unmanned ground systems, also described facing Rubicon.

He said operators in open terrain are quickly targeted, with Russians sending multiple FPV drones, then artillery if drones fail, and finally heavier weapons such as laser-guided KAB bombs.

Knocking out logistics channels

Beskrestnov said Rubicon's tactic is to send several drones at a single target simultaneously, backed by strong support.

The unit can launch 20 to 30 intercepting drones a day from one position -- a "disparity not in our favor," according to Archie.

Beskrestnov linked Ukrainian forces' retreat from the Kursk area to Rubicon crews, who disrupt logistics with long-range drone strikes, sometimes 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) into Ukrainian territory. He said they are now attacking roads near Pokrovsk.

Rubicon deliberately cuts supply lines, knowing operators become less effective without food, water or rest, leaving infantry without "eyes," Archie explained.

"Rubicon operated in our area and destroyed our entire logistical link with the front line. They destroyed us and our drones with everything they could," said Magician.

He recalled that the army had to replace all the vehicles that delivered provisions and ammunition to military personnel at the front.

"They are working very actively -- using fiber-optic, aircraft-type [unmanned aerial vehicles] UAVs, and conventional radio communications, hitting us on any roads they can," said Magician. When Rubicon's operators left his area, "things have become a little easier."

AI minimizes risks

Minister Fedorov said fully autonomous drones may still be years away and will require major research and investment.

But Nikita Gladkikh, a US-based AI expert, said artificial intelligence is already shaping tactics in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

"Ukrainian experts are actively retraining publicly available AI models to improve drone effectiveness. They use operational data from the battlefield and classified information," he said.

Gladkikh added that automatic target recognition lets drones detect camouflaged military objects in real time, even when operators are fatigued. AI-enabled drones also use visual-inertial navigation, comparing live video with preloaded topographical maps.

Computer vision and autonomous navigation -- the main components of artificial intelligence in UAVs -- already "allow us to minimize risks for drone operators on the battlefield," Gladkikh noted. And that contributes to operational success.