Russia's elite army. How the Rubicon unit works

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine destroyed in Donetsk region, the headquarters of one of the most combat-ready Russian UAV units, the Rubicon Center, is located.

It first became known in the fall of 2024 during an operation by the Defense Forces in the Kursk region. In less than a year, it has turned into a unit designed to create all the conditions for a Russian infantry offensive on Ukrainian soil. The current situation in Pokrovsk is largely due to the Rubicon crews.

"Rubicon's work is, in fact, the destruction of life in the city of Dobropillya. They knocked out the infrastructure and logistics," says LIGA.net "The Dobropillya-Kramatorsk road, the Slaviansk-Izyum road are also their work."

This unit continues to build up its strength. Its current strength is about 1,500 Russian soldiers. But this figure is changing rapidly – Rubicon recruits can afford to take pilots from other units, entire crews.

Russia's military and political leadership is placing a big bet on Rubicon, says an officer of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense with the pseudonym Azimut.

How the elite Rubicon for the Russian army is equipped and what are its priority tasks? LIGA.net was analyzed together with Ukrainian intelligence officers, cyber specialists and servicemen of the Unmanned Systems Forces.