February 27, Pozirk. Ukraine has “eliminated” a communication system that helped Russian drones attack Ukraine from Belarus, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has announced.
“We managed to disable a mesh network used by [Russian] Shahed [drones] in the north, which significantly strengthened the defense capabilities of Kyiv and central Ukraine,” pravda.com.ua quoted him as saying.
The network, where many Shahed drones operate simultaneously, needs to be connected to Russian control centers, where operators run the entire process, said Serhii Beskrestnov, Fedorov’s defense technology advisor.
Such control centers exist in Russia and used to exist in Belarus, he added. Hubs through which information from the drones is sent to the control center look like regular mobile operator towers, 70-80 meters high, with powerful antennas pointing towards Ukraine, Beskrestnov noted.
Ukraine is changing its policy towards Belarus and will respond appropriately to threats, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement released after Kyiv’s announcement of sanctions on Alaksandar Łukašenka on February 18.
Since last fall, Ukraine has been detecting relay stations on Belarusian territory that support Russian attack drones, Zelensky noted. By sanctioning the Belarusian ruler, Ukraine is responding to Belarus’ increased involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine, he stressed, pledging to step up coordination with regional and global partners.
