British Raspberry Pi Found Powering Russia’s Geran Strike Drone Despite Santions

Russian developers continue to refine the telemetry and onboard electronics of the Geran-2 attack drone, integrating widely available civilian technology into systems used on the battlefield in Ukraine, according to the Polkovnik Gsh Telegram channel, which is linked to Ukraine’s Armed Forces and reported the findings on February 12.

The report states that the core of each upgraded unit—referred to internally at the Alabuga production site as “Borshch”—is a Raspberry Pi single-board computer manufactured in the United Kingdom.

The channel claims that more than 40,000 such microcomputers were procured and ultimately routed into drones deployed against Ukraine.

Public financial disclosures show rapid growth in revenue for the Raspberry Pi company over recent years, rising from roughly $100 million in 2020 to about $266 million in 2023, before stabilizing slightly in 2024. Integration of the Raspberry Pi 4 into Geran-series drones reportedly began in 2023.

Earlier disclosures by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) highlighted similar reliance on commercial components in other Russian unmanned systems.

Through the War & Sanctions portal, HUR published an interactive breakdown of the Molniya-2R drone, a reconnaissance-focused evolution of the Molniya FPV loitering munition.

The original Molniya platform functioned as a catapult-launched, operator-guided suicide drone. A later Molniya-2 variant introduced twin wing-mounted engines, a redesigned fuselage, extended range, and a heavier warhead.

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War in Ukraine

Russia Keeps Flying Drones on Civilian Tech While Complaining About Starlink in Ukraine

Feb 11, 2026 19:28

The newest Molniya-2R modification shifts toward aerial surveillance. According to HUR, the drone incorporates a Raspberry Pi 5 microcomputer alongside a Chinese-made Mini PC F8 marketed under a Russian brand and running a licensed Windows 11 operating system.

Earlier, Russia launched serial production of standardized munitions for FPV drones, marking a shift from improvised explosives to industrial-grade payloads designed for use in large-scale drone warfare.

The Kaplya warhead is designed as an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP)—a technology that generates a high-speed metal slug capable of piercing armored vehicles from above.

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