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Russia May Be Running Secret Mesh Relays Inside Kyiv to Guide Shahed Strikes
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Russian forces may be using a small number of radio relay devices operating inside Kyiv to establish temporary communication links with Shahed-type attack drones and adjust their flight during strikes, according to Ukrainian defense technology adviser Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov.
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Beskrestnov said on October 3 that he believes Russian Mesh radio relays are periodically activated in the Ukrainian capital, potentially providing a short-term control channel for incoming drones.
🚨 BREAKING: Russian drones have hit Kyiv’s Pivdennyi Bridge again.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) October 2, 2026
Following repeated strikes on its supports and roadway, transit across the bridge connecting the capital's two banks is fully halted. pic.twitter.com/ypE9YFwbT8
“Right now, I insist that enemy Mesh radio relays are being switched on in Kyiv, providing a temporary short-term control channel for Shaheds to adjust strikes. Not many. Perhaps one to three. Such relays are difficult to find, but they must be searched for,” Beskrestnov said.
According to Beskrestnov, the presence of such devices could complicate efforts to protect Kyiv using electronic warfare systems, as the drones could retain a communication channel during the final stage of an attack.
He pointed to previous Russian strikes in Kyiv, including an attack on a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) building, as evidence supporting his assessment.
“At the moment of the strike, there were no other Shahed relay drones in the sky. I also analyzed other strikes on Kyiv bridges and the possibility of organizing long-range Mesh channels from Russia at those moments,” he said.
Beskrestnov also raised concerns about Russian access to information on the location of Ukrainian air defense systems deployed around critical infrastructure. Images showing air defense equipment on Kyiv bridges have circulated online, while such deployments are difficult to conceal because tens of thousands of people use the crossings daily, he said.
As long as Russia maintains the ability to control Shahed drones in real time, Beskrestnov said, both infrastructure and air defense systems could potentially be targeted.
He argued that accurately striking individual structural elements of a bridge, such as supports or cables, would require a stable control channel that remains active until the final stage of the drone’s flight.
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Beskrestnov stressed that his assessment of Russian relay devices operating inside Kyiv remains a hypothesis. Ukrainian specialists continue examining debris from downed Russian drones for evidence of alternative communication systems.
“Let me be wrong in my opinion about the relays,” Beskrestnov said. “I also want to say that we carefully examine all debris. We do not find any other ‘secret’ means of communication.”
The assessment follows earlier concerns over relay infrastructure outside Ukraine. On September 29, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said Belarus periodically activates relay systems that can strengthen communications for Russian drones during attacks on Ukraine.
In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to dismantle relay equipment that Kyiv said was being used to support Russian drone operations.
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