Ukrainian aviation has carried out a precision strike against a russian drone operations and training hub in the Lazurnyi district of Pokrovsk, targeting facilities used by UAV operators and instructors from russia's elite Rubikon Center.
Footage of the strike was published by the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces.
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According to the Ukrainian military, russian forces had been using a damaged high-rise building in the Lazurnyi district as a base for drone operators. Intelligence also identified the presence of instructors from the Rubikon Center, who were training new UAV crews at the site.
Available information further indicates that one of the buildings was being used to store ammunition, including munitions reportedly containing toxic chemical substances.
According to the Ukrainian military, the strike destroyed up to two UAV crew operating positions, a communications node, ammunition stockpiles, and eliminated an estimated 10 to 15 russian personnel.
The target was identified following extensive reconnaissance conducted by the 25th Separate Sicheslav Airborne Brigade of the 7th Rapid Response Corps. Ukrainian intelligence monitored the area over an extended period before authorizing the strike.
The surveillance reportedly revealed several indicators confirming the site's military role, including:
- Continuous activity consistent with around-the-clock drone reconnaissance operations;
- Communications infrastructure, including Wi-Fi bridges, routers, antennas, and Starlink terminals used to coordinate and control UAV missions.
According to the Ukrainian military, russian forces have for months used the southern part of Pokrovsk as one of their primary concentrations for personnel, particularly drone operators.
The location offers several operational advantages from the russian perspective. It reduces the risk posed by Ukrainian FPV drone strikes within the area of responsibility of the 7th Rapid Response Corps while providing direct access to road networks linking Pokrovsk with major logistics hubs in russia's rear areas.
The reported presence of Rubikon instructors is particularly noteworthy. The Rubikon Center has become one of russia's most prominent UAV organizations, specializing in training drone operators and developing tactics for unmanned systems. Its instructors are increasingly being deployed to frontline sectors to establish new drone units and improve the effectiveness of russian UAV operations.
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