Ukrainian intelligence officers operate a subterranean command center in the Donbass war zone, coordinating drone strikes against Russian positions amid a shifting battlefield where low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles frequently outperform heavy armor, Aftonbladet reported.
Shimmering fiber-optic cables blanket minefields across the contested landscape, while electronic warfare countermeasures frequently disrupt active frequencies, occasionally forcing friendly drones to crash prematurely.
Subterranean Command and the Shift to Unmanned Warfare
Buried beneath the earth at an undisclosed location, a special operations unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) monitors screens filled with yellow navigation markers. Drone pilot Striker and his colleague Captain deploy domestically produced rockets known as Bullet within seconds of detecting hostile aircraft. Above ground, autumn sunlight filters through shattered trees alongside a constant hum of overhead propellers.
Rubizh, who has served since 2000 and survived capture and torture by Russian-backed separatists in Donbass in 2014, commands the unit. He notes that combat has evolved drastically from the close-quarters engagements of the war’s early years, when opposing lines often sat just 150 meters apart. The unit previously contributed to Operation Vivaldi, a classified counter-offensive that pushed back Russian forces, neutralized approximately 8,000 soldiers, and liberated 277 square kilometers of territory.
| Operational Metric | Reported Detail |
|---|---|
| Primary Weapon Class | Offensive and defensive fiber-optic and radio-controlled drones |
| Monthly Output (General Cherry) | Approximately 20,000 neutralized targets |
| Historical Milestones | Operation Vivaldi (277 sq km liberated) |
Team members balance the psychological strain of prolonged combat through shared meals and family leave. Operator München, who previously eliminated a hostile position using a bomb-equipped drone, observes that the violence remains a matter of survival. Fox, the unit’s sole female operator in active combat since 2015, notes the heavy emotional toll of losing comrades, including a fellow soldier whose family lost two sons to the war.
Inside Ukraine’s Secret Drone Factories
Behind the front lines, manufacturers struggle to keep pace with rapid technological advancements. A visit to the high-security production facility General Cherry in Zaporizjzja reveals hundreds of 3D printers operating continuously alongside workers soldering circuit boards and assembling propellers designed to counter fast-moving jet-driven enemy systems.
Marko Kushnir oversees production at the facility, noting that their models eliminate about 20,000 targets monthly. These low-cost platforms have drawn international interest from foreign nations seeking cost-effective alternatives to traditional armored vehicles.
Rubizh expresses concern over international political shifts, pointing specifically to Donald Trump’s diplomatic posture toward Moscow as an added pressure point for Ukrainian forces. Despite these geopolitical hurdles, the unit maintains its operational tempo, driven by the immediate goal of defending their territory.
