Russian drone relay networks make Kyiv strikes harder to stop, Ukrainian experts say
Russian long-range attack drones are using mesh networking to relay control signals and live video beyond the range of a single radio link. In one strike, a Geran-5 hit a Kyiv business center while another jet-powered Shahed acted as an airborne relay and filmed the attack. Ukrainian defense specialists say this approach makes the drones much harder to jam or defeat.
Ukrainian specialists describe a decentralized radio architecture in which several airborne or ground nodes pass signals along dynamically, so a drone need not stay within range of one operator link. This can carry both control commands and live imagery across greater distances.
In the Sept. 29 strike on Kyiv’s Inkom business center, a Geran-5 jet drone attacked while a second jet-powered Shahed reportedly loitered near three kilometers up, relaying signals and transmitting video. Documentation also points to Chinese-made XK-F358 mesh radios, with relay stations near front lines or Russian/Belarusian borders.
If such relay tactics spread, residents and businesses in Kyiv may face less warning time and greater difficulty distinguishing attack drones from relay platforms. Civil defense and electronic-warfare teams could need to track multiple airborne nodes rather than a single link, potentially stretching resources. The psychological burden on city residents may grow as strikes appear more precise and harder to disrupt, while authorities could face pressure to adapt public alerts and protective measures.