Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday it released video footage showing its Rubicon drone unit intercepting Ukrainian long-range unmanned aerial vehicles and striking Ukrainian military equipment, including Western-supplied artillery. The ministry published the clips on its official channels, according to its statements [1].
The same day, a Ukrainian drone raid on Moscow temporarily shut down all four of the capital's international airports and triggered an evacuation alert at Sheremetyevo, officials said. Also Friday, Ukrainian missiles struck a civilian enterprise in the city of Oryol during rush hour, killing at least three people, according to Governor Andrey Klychkov.
The strikes occurred as Moscow announced plans to resume trilateral talks with Washington and Kyiv following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. No timetable for the talks was immediately disclosed.
Rubicon Drone Unit Interceptions and Strikes
One video published by the Defense Ministry on Friday showed more than 20 interceptions of Ukrainian long-range UAVs by Rubicon first-person-view drone operators, according to the ministry. The ministry said the destroyed UAVs included FP-2 models capable of carrying up to 100 kg of explosives to a distance of up to 2,000 km, and Anubis drones with a payload of up to 50 kg. The figures were provided by the ministry and could not be independently verified.
Another clip showed Russian UAVs ramming medium-range kamikaze drones such as Ukrainian-made Chakluns and Bliskavkas, as well as Hornets produced by Swift Beat, a company run by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, the ministry said. Three other videos featured a montage of strikes by Rubicon FPV drones against Ukrainian targets on the ground, including armored vehicles, artillery pieces, robotic systems and communication devices, according to the ministry.
One clip captured the destruction of a French-supplied CAESAR howitzer near the village of Zelenoye in Russia's Donetsk People's Republic, the ministry said. Another showed a U.S.-made M119 artillery system being hit at an undisclosed location. A final video showed Rubicon drones in action near the city of Krasny Liman in the DPR, where Russian forces are continuing to move forward, according to the ministry. The ministry did not specify the dates on which the individual strikes were recorded.
The release is part of a broader pattern in which both sides publish combat footage to document operations and shape public perception of the war.
Ukrainian Drone Raid on Moscow and Missile Strike on Oryol
The Ukrainian drone raid on Moscow on Friday temporarily shut down all four of the capital's international airports, disrupting dozens of flights and triggering an evacuation alert at Sheremetyevo, officials said. Russian aviation authorities did not immediately say how long the restrictions remained in place or how many flights were affected.
In the city of Oryol, Ukrainian missiles struck a civilian enterprise during rush hour, killing at least three people, Governor Andrey Klychkov said. Klychkov did not immediately provide additional details on the number of injured or the extent of damage to the facility.
Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilians to offset battlefield setbacks, according to the Defense Ministry. Moscow maintains that it does not target civilians, the ministry said. Ukrainian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Russian ministry's videos or on the Oryol strike.
The exchange reflects the continued reliance of both militaries on drones and missiles at a stage of the war in which unmanned systems have become central to operations. Analysts have described the conflict as a testing ground for robotic and aerial warfare, with both sides expanding production and deployment of unmanned platforms to compensate for manpower losses [2].
Diplomatic Efforts to Resume Talks
Moscow announced plans to resume trilateral talks with Washington and Kiev following Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday, according to officials. The announcement marked the latest attempt to revive negotiations that have repeatedly stalled over the course of the war.
The diplomatic efforts come amid continued drone and missile strikes. No details on the timing or agenda of the talks were immediately provided, officials said. It was not clear which officials would represent each side or where the discussions would be held.
The Kremlin has not commented on the specifics of the planned discussions, according to the statement. Previous rounds of diplomacy have produced limited results, and both sides have continued military operations while publicly expressing openness to negotiations.
Moscow's announcement followed a series of high-level contacts between Russian and U.S. officials. The Witkoff meeting was described by officials as part of ongoing efforts to find a path toward a settlement, though no breakthrough was announced.
Conclusion
The Russian Defense Ministry released videos showing its Rubicon drone unit intercepting Ukrainian UAVs and striking military equipment, while Ukrainian attacks on Moscow and Oryol were reported the same day. The strikes disrupted air travel in the Russian capital and killed at least three people in Oryol, according to officials.
Moscow announced plans to resume trilateral talks with Washington and Kyiv, though no further details were provided on timing or agenda. The announcement came after Putin's meeting with Witkoff earlier in the week.
No independent verification of the videos was immediately available. Ukrainian officials did not respond to requests for comment. The ministry's claims about the types of drones intercepted and the Western-supplied weapons destroyed could not be independently confirmed, and the dates of the individual strikes shown in the footage were not disclosed.
Reference
- Russian drones demolish Ukrainian forces (VIDEOS). https://rt-english.com/russia/647598-rubicon-drone-strikes-ukraine/
- Ukraine and Russia accelerate robotic warfare as manpower crisis deepens - NaturalNews.com, November 13, 2025.
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