Propagandist’s on-air slip exposes location of Russia’s top drone unit

An on-air blunder by Vladimir Solovyov, a high-profile Russian television propagandist, appears to have publicly disclosed the location of Russia's most advanced drone unit, Rubicon, according to open-source researchers and Radio Liberty. The base has been geolocated to the Patriot Exhibition Centre in the Moscow region, with investigators citing Hall D and part of Hall C as the likely confines of the unit, based on public videos from the venue that show a distinctive restroom sign and an accompanying light board.

Investigators say the unblurred toilet sign above the restroom entrance, featuring a distinctive design and the words “restroom” in Russian and English, allowed researchers to pinpoint the site to the Patriot Expo. They also identified the Rubicon center as a “centre for advanced unmanned technologies” and named its head, Colonel Sergei Budnikov. The disclosure has sparked discussion about the security implications of on-air visuals and the potential vulnerabilities of state-media reporting.

On May 22, a Ukrainian Liutyi drone targeted the Patriot Expo, according to open-source reporting, and three days later forces struck a Pantsir air-defence system at the same site. Investigators say the exposure from Solovyov’s broadcast contributed to the vulnerability of the Rubicon base, linking the televised misstep to subsequent attack activity at the location. The centre is described as a hub for development and testing of new drones, operator training, and the deployment of its units to front-line operations.

Rubicon has been described by Ukrainian sources and Western analysts as Russia’s leading high-tech drone unit. Maria Berlinska, head of the Ukrainian Aerial Reconnaissance Support Centre, has praised Rubicon as “Russia’s best technological unit,” noting its disciplined management, systematic training, and substantial funding. In a Facebook post from August 21, she suggested that Ukraine should study Rubicon’s practices while continuing to pursue dismantlement of its specialist crew. “They pour money into it,” Berlinska wrote, highlighting the unit’s perceived effectiveness and the challenge it poses to Ukrainian forces.

Rob Lee, a former U.S. Marine officer and a military analyst with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, told Radio Liberty that Rubicon has played a significant role in Russia’s operations in Kursk and in Donetsk, helping to isolate battlefield areas, target UAV operators, and disrupt logistics. Lee described Rubicon as a unit that has contributed to Russia’s drone-enabled tempo and called the group a key factor in several recent Russian-initiated advances, according to the outlet.

The reports indicate that the disclosed location has already drawn Ukrainian drone attention and could face further strikes. Rubicon is described as a center for developing and testing drones, training operators, and deploying its drones and personnel to front-line missions. Investigators caution that Solovyov’s broadcast appears to have exposed the base to additional risk, underscoring the net effect of media disclosures on strategic military assets. The broader context remains a contested information environment, with open-source researchers continuing to track the unit’s activities through publicly available footage and statements from Ukrainian defense-linked organizations.