20 September 2026
During an offensive operation, air defense units of Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps forced an almost complete redeployment of a Russian Rubicon unmanned systems unit involved in the operation to another sector of the front.
The commander of the 3rd Army Corps’ air defense shared this with Militarnyi.
According to him, at one point, Russian forces began deploying additional reconnaissance and strike drone crews to the area of operations. Ukrainian forces identified crews from the Rubicon center among them.
This was indicated by both an increase in aerial threats and information from other sources.
In response, the 3rd Army Corps strengthened air target detection and focused on locating launch positions.
Countermeasures were not limited to destroying drones in the air. After identifying areas where Russian crews operated, they were also struck.
According to the commander, the result was that the Rubicon unit was almost entirely redeployed to another sector of the front.
Regular unmanned units of Russian first-echelon forces were also forced to move their positions farther into the rear.
“Their reconnaissance and strike drones have ceased to be effective,” the commander noted.
Number of Molniya Drones Increased Dozens of Times
Russian forces sharply increased their use of Molniya fixed-wing strike drones.
At one point, their number increased dozens of times.
A Molniya UAV is hit by a General Cherry Air drone. Stills from the manufacturer’s video
They are used to strike equipment, artillery systems, forward positions, and air defense assets, including radar stations.
The enemy also increased its use of fixed-wing reconnaissance drones. The 3rd Army Corps recorded more active use of Knyaz Veshchiy Oleg.
The corps intercepted a wide range of drones, including Zala, Orlan, Supercam, Marlin, Skat-350M, and Koschei.
The Russians attempted to counter Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance with Sokol-type interceptor drones.
At the tactical level, Russian forces use reconnaissance and strike multicopters, so-called “zhduny” (modified FPV drones that land and wait for targets in ambush – ed.), and fiber-optic drones.
Russians Hunted Ukrainian Air Defense
Air defense assets remained priority targets.
The commander said the enemy constantly tries to locate Ukrainian air defense systems and identify weak points.
Front-line targets include radar stations, short-range SAMs, and launch positions of interceptor drones.
Ukrainian units used camouflage, field fortifications, and timely movement out of potential strike zones.
The commander said the air defense forces and assets involved were preserved without damage.