Former Russian army drone operator Myroslav Symonov voluntarily surrendered and provided valuable information about the internal structure and training methods in Russian special forces. The Russian, who ended up in the elite drone unit "Rubikon," decided to cooperate with the Ukrainian side through the "I Want to Live" project. This is reported by UNN.
Details
In his testimony, Symonov described in detail the path from forced recruitment in Moscow to being sent to the occupied territories of Luhansk region, where he was to perform combat missions as an aerial reconnaissance specialist.
The path from civilian realtor to elite drone operator through coercion and blackmail
Myroslav Symonov, a resident of Novosibirsk, worked in real estate before his service, but during a visit to the Russian capital, he was detained by the police. The security forces gave the man a choice between criminal prosecution and signing a contract for military service.
After undergoing basic assault training at the "Pogonovo" training ground in Voronezh region, he was assigned to an unmanned aerial vehicle unit of the 20th Russian army, where he underwent an accelerated training course on working with Mavic-type quadcopters.
Accidental entry into Rubikon and defection to the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Symonov's appearance in the ranks of the elite "Rubikon" battalion was the result of internal manipulations by the Russian command during the formation of new units.
According to the defector, staff officers tried to keep the best specialists for themselves, so they sent the least experienced fighters to the newly created "elite" structures. Finding himself at the front, Symonov took the opportunity to stop participating in the aggressive war and defected to the side of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, providing important data on the basing locations and drone control system in his former unit.
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