Russia is threatening with the “Rubicon”. Hunts for Ukrainian drone pilots

The new Russian Rubikon military unit, which aims to eliminate Ukrainian drone pilots, threatens Ukraine's tactical advantage in electronic warfare, said the British newspaper Financial Times.

The newspaper revealed that the elite Russian unit uses advanced tools and its own fleet of fighter drones. It consists of approx. 5 thousand. people, which means that it operates non-stop, 24 hours a day. The unit is to have enormous financial resources at its disposal. Rubikon operates near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk Oblast, currently a key city on the front line.

Based on conversations with Ukrainian soldiers and military experts, it was established that the unit does not attack Ukrainian infantry, but focuses on eliminating drone pilots and cutting off logistics.

“Striking up to 10 km behind the front line, they attack Ukrainian vehicles and drones – heavy quadrocopters (drones with four engines – PAP) or wheeled robots used to supply the front line. In addition to offensive operations, Rubikon plays an important role in training other Russian units operating drones,” reports “FT”.

The British daily reported that the Russians' new strategy, based on attacks beyond the front line, “gave them an advantage in the constantly evolving drone war, which, according to officials and analysts, is responsible for 70-80 percent of soldier casualties.”

– It's a cat-and-mouse game in which the laws of physics are the decisive factor, said Tom Withington, an electronic warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank in London, in an interview with the FT.

The editorial team pointed out that “in a drone versus drone clash, control over the electromagnetic spectrum is as decisive as dominance in the air.” It was revealed that both sides of the conflict use, among others, devices to disrupt electronic signals, locate transmitters, and can also hack into drone operators' cameras.

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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