According to Ikona, the mobile fire team consists of a driver, a gunner, and a commander. He added that the 45-year-old retired Rosgvardia officer has been taking part in the war since 2022.
Ikona described the team’s work in a pickup “tachanka” with a machine gun. During the day, he said, the gunner can use “Yolka” — a small interceptor that is launched by hand and automatically homes in on the target in daylight.
The driver, the source explained, not only drives the vehicle but also films the “target engagement” on a phone. This is needed not “for TikTok”, but for reports to management, because cartridges and “Yolkas” cost money and their use must be justified.
Ikona did not specify whether any responsibility is предусмотрена for possible overspending of ammunition or other violations that may appear on video. According to him, the Russian authorities began to create MFGs on a large scale and systematically in late 2025 — the first half of 2026 to protect rear-area facilities from AFU drones.
In November last year, President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing citizens from the mobilization human reserve (BARS) to be called up for special training to protect critically important facilities. Then such units began to be created in the regions mainly to defend oil refineries and compressor stations, and in 2026 large Russian companies also began forming their own MFGs.
Reservists are brought in to protect rear-area facilities through the format of special training. According to the authorities, mobile team fighters are not sent to take part in battles outside the country; at the same time, they are paid large sums for their service and are promised additional payments from the Defense Ministry.
Sources
