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Russia may be using hidden Mesh radio repeaters in Kyiv to maintain short-term communication links with Shahed attack drones and correct their strikes in real time, Ukrainian presidential adviser on defense technology Serhii Beskrestnov, known as “Flash,” said.
According to Beskrestnov, there could be between one and three such repeaters operating in the Ukrainian capital. He said they would be difficult to locate but should be identified.
Beskrestnov argued that Russian Mesh repeaters operating inside Kyiv could reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian electronic warfare systems against the drones.
He said real-time control could allow Russian operators to adjust a drone’s trajectory shortly before impact. In his assessment, this could enable more precise attacks against bridge supports and other infrastructure, as well as against Ukrainian air-defense systems.
“Without stable online control until the moment of impact, it is impossible to hit a bridge support or a bridge cable with certainty,” Beskrestnov said.
The adviser previously said that a Russian jet-powered Shahed had acted as a signal repeater for a Geran-5 drone during a strike on the Inkom business center in Kyiv, allowing the attack drone to transmit live video and receive control signals. Critical Threats, citing Beskrestnov, reported that a Shahed-type drone had served as a Mesh repeater for a Geran-5 during the September 25 strike.
Beskrestnov also previously claimed that Russia used a similar Mesh relay during an attack on the Security Service of Ukraine headquarters in Kyiv on September 4.
His latest assessment comes after repeated Russian drone attacks on Kyiv’s bridges. The Southern Bridge was struck several times on October 1 and 2, while the Northern Bridge was damaged in a Russian airstrike on October 3, according to Kyiv authorities and Reuters.
Beskrestnov’s claims about hidden repeaters inside Kyiv have not been independently verified.
