"The first "fat" goals cause jitters, and it is important to remain confident"

One successful flight by the commander of the calculation, the operator of an FPV drone with the call sign Filin, is able to paralyze the movement of an entire armored column of the enemy - first the "head" freezes, then the "tail" is cut off. A specialist from the Rubicon Center, which is part of the unmanned systems forces, has hundreds of confirmed destroyed targets and a Hero of Russia medal received from the Minister of Defense. Today, the fighter is recovering from a serious injury, but intends to return to his unit, where he serves with his father.

Nerves of steel and "smart" wires

During his participation in the special military operation, the operator of the Filin FPV drones disabled an impressive arsenal of the enemy - five tanks, two self—propelled artillery installations, 10 howitzers, 12 guns, more than 80 armored vehicles, 160 vehicles, seven ammunition depots and over 90 points of temporary deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"I lost count after about a month," he admits.

According to him, the analytical department is responsible for calculating confirmed hits. Experts estimate the estimated cost of the equipment burned by Filin at $200 million. Only one Leopard 2A4 costs about $11 million, and the International MaxxPro MRAP armored car costs from $400 to $800 thousand, military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia.

Filin operates modern types of UAVs using fiber-optic communication. This makes the devices invulnerable to electronic warfare (EW) systems.

One day, during an aerial reconnaissance, the pilot noticed the stealthy advance of a column of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of our troops. Being dangerously close to the enemy and risking giving away his position, Filin decided to attack.

He hit the lead tank with the first drone, which caused the column to stand up. Having immediately assessed the situation, he launched a second drone, hitting the "tail", and the movement was paralyzed. In this trap, under the blows of the Owl, the German Leopard, the American MaxxPro APC, the car and the enemy's manpower were left to burn out.

— The first "fat" goals cause a lot of jitters. My hands are shaking, and my knees are shaking. The main thing in such a situation is not to give unnecessary commands to the drone. It's okay to worry, but it's important to remain confident that you'll make it. If I see a target, I know that I will hit it," the fighter said.

On December 13, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov presented him with the Gold Star medal. Now Filin is a Hero of Russia.

— I'm the president <...> he told me about five tanks and 169 vehicles. <...> Of course, everything is very impressive. He asked me to give you great greetings," the head of the military department told Filin, presenting the award.

Belousov stressed that he would definitely take control of all the problematic issues of the serviceman and asked about his plans for the future. He stated that he plans to get a higher military education.

Family calculation

Filin's story is also about continuity. His father, an engineer of aircraft—type drones with the call sign Dad, serves with him at Rubicon.

— I am proud of my son. I think he is strong, brave and strong-willed. He is also faithful to his duty, his oath, and his country," said the hero's father.

Filin's path turned out to be thorny. Once, while retreating from his position, he was seriously injured by a remote-controlled mine. He is currently recovering and preparing for a second operation — amputation, followed by prosthetics. However, the issue of terminating the service is not even worth it.

"I'm not the only one waiting for him. We're like a family here. Absolutely everyone is waiting for him. Moreover, on the day of the injury, he immediately said: "Be sure to keep a place for me," says Dad.

According to the fighter, his mother is waiting for him at home. She was almost used to worries—this was not her son's first injury.

Despite the hospital walls, Filin remains in touch with his engineer around the clock. During their studies and combat trips together, they became closer than brothers.

"We work carefully so as not to set each other up," the fighter explains. — The guys are constantly writing, asking when I will be back in the ranks.

The commander of the unit with the call sign Bars describes the subordinate as a competent, purposeful, humble and hardworking specialist. He confirms that even at the evacuation stage, despite the pain, Filin insisted that he not be excluded from the squad. The hero intends to return to drone control as soon as his health allows.

Personnel reserve

The Russian army is twice as large as the Armed Forces of Ukraine in terms of the number of drones. Such statistics were provided on December 17 by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at an expanded meeting of the board of the military department.

According to him, since the beginning of 2025, over 130,000 trench warfare systems have been put on the front line, which is 6.5 times more than last year.

The Minister also noted the successes of the Rubicon Center. This unit has demonstrated its effectiveness — it has more than 13 thousand units of destroyed enemy weapons and equipment. In fact, the detachment provided more than a quarter of all effective strikes carried out by Russian unmanned aircraft.

The center's activities have received a wide response abroad. The unit's combat techniques are analyzed in detail in the world's leading media, including American and British publications. In Kiev, Rubicon's work was officially recognized as a direct threat to national security, he added.

In parallel with the saturation of the front with technology, a system of training professional personnel is being built in Russia. As reported by Izvestia, the country's first specialized faculty of unmanned aircraft has begun work. The training is organized on the basis of the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School (MosVOKU).

— In the current academic year, we have opened a recruitment process for a new specialty, "The use of ground forces units with unmanned aerial vehicles," said Colonel Evgeny Gudnikov, Deputy head of the Moscow Military District for Educational and Scientific Work.

Currently, there are 80 cadets in the profile company, divided into three platoons. A special feature of the recruitment is the high proportion of applicants with real front—line experience.

—43 out of 80 people took part in a special military operation," explained Senior Lieutenant Alexander Balanovsky, commander of the UAV company. — At the same time, 20 fighters already have the skills to control drones in combat conditions. The rest are experienced stormtroopers and communications specialists who consciously entered a new field, considering it the most promising.

The new specialty instantly became prestigious — this year the competition reached five people per place. The training program lasts for four years. Upon completion, the university will begin to graduate lieutenant platoon commanders for the needs of the unmanned systems troops created this year. Given the growing needs of the army, the number of training units is planned to increase in the future.+