Ukraine strikes elite Russian ‘Rubicon’ drone unit in occupied territory

Ukrainian forces have struck Russia’s elite Rubicon drone unit overnight, Kyiv’s military said hours before peace talks got underway with Moscow in Abu Dhabi. The Rubicon Center for Advanced Unmanned Technologies was formed in August 2024 by the Russian ministry of defence and is a sprawling unit operating in the heart of occupied territory. Its key aims include hunting down Ukrainian drone teams on the ground and intercepting reconnaissance and strike drones. It serves as the heart of Russian drone missions against Ukraine. According to a statement by Ukraine’s southern defence released on Monday, the Rubicon unit was hit in the occupied region of Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia. “The enemy facility was located 107 kilometres away from the line of contact,” read the statement on Telegram. The facility was located 107 km away from the line of contact, according to the military (Ukraine southern defence)“The operation proves once again: there is no longer a safe rear for the Russian occupiers,” it continued.“The defence forces of Ukraine are capable of detecting and striking enemy targets at a significant distance from the front line, acting in coordination and according to a single plan.”Russia is reported to have “lost trained specialists who were engaged in training operators and passed on their experience to others”. The operation is said to have been carried out through a joint effort involving Ukraine’s Harpy group and the unmanned aerial systems battery of the Pivden Operational Grouping of Troops, with support from Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SBU’s Special Operations Centre and the 412th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment.Russia pulled Rubicon units from the front line in northern Donetsk back in September after suffering heavy losses during Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi, according to the Kyiv Independent. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Russian and Ukrainian representatives on Tuesday (Reuters)The news comes as US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine appear to be picking up again this week after months of deadlock following the US-Israeli war against Iran. Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to be mediating between the two warring sides. Russian state news agency RIA reported the start of what is scheduled to be two days of talks, in which Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are to mediate between the two warring sides.On the eve of the start of discussions Trump said that Washington was seeing a “very strong inclination” towards ending the war and said that both sides were “tired of fighting”. Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russian forces were suffering “record losses”. “Ukrainian forces are currently genuinely strengthening Ukraine's negotiating position,” he said in his nightly address on Minday,