Sep 23, 2026
Ukrainian forces struck a drone warehouse belonging to Russia’s Rubicon unmanned systems unit in the temporarily occupied Donetsk region, along with several UAV command posts and logistics facilities, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on September 23, the strikes were carried out on September 22 and overnight into September 23 against Russian military facilities across the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Ukrainian forces targeted Russian UAV command posts near Novoselivka Persha and Dachne in the Donetsk region. A separate strike hit a drone warehouse operated by the Rubicon unit near Volnovakha, according to the General Staff.
The operation also targeted Russian military logistics. A fuel and lubricants depot was struck near Kundriuche in the Luhansk region, while logistics warehouses were hit near Hirnyk and Velyka Shyshivka in the Donetsk region.
Near Krasnohorivka, Ukrainian forces also struck a concentration of personnel belonging to a Russian UAV unit, the General Staff said. The extent of the damage at the sites was not immediately disclosed.
Rubicon, formally known as Russia’s Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies, was established in August 2024 under the Russian Defense Ministry to centralize the development, testing, training, and battlefield deployment of unmanned systems. The unit operates FPV and fixed-wing drones and also maintains dedicated electronic warfare and counter-drone capabilities.
According to a June 2026 analysis by the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Rubicon expanded from roughly 1,450 personnel in 2025 to around 5,000 by spring 2026. Its combat detachments have been used to target Ukrainian drone crews and logistics networks behind the front line while testing new equipment and tactics for wider use by Russian forces.
Earlier, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian attack drone storage and launch site in the Oryol region, damaging five launchers and at least three storage facilities, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. The facility was reportedly used to store, prepare, and launch attack drones against Ukraine.