Russia is setting up a new network of drone bases near the borders of Belarus and Ukraine, according to The Telegraph
Russia is expanding its network of launch sites for attack drones, some of which are located near the borders with Belarus and Ukraine.
Journalists analyzed satellite imagery and leaked documents, revealing at least 59 new launch rails.
About 20 of them are longer than usual, which may indicate the ability to launch the latest long-range drones.
According to an investigation by The Telegraph, journalists have already identified at least 10 such sites, some of which Russian troops are using to launch attacks on Ukraine.
New bases are being set up on the sites of former military facilities and airfields, as well as in rural areas. Journalists estimate that one such facility can store more than 1,000 drones at a time.
Russia continues to modernize its attack drones and is developing, in particular, jet-powered versions capable of traveling nearly 1,000 km.
According to The Telegraph, the “Geran-4” and “Geran-5” can carry up to 90 kg of payload and reach high speeds, making them difficult to intercept.
Seven of the 10 sites identified by journalists were already used during recent attacks on Kyiv.
The expansion of Russia’s infrastructure also poses a potential threat to NATO countries. In particular, the range of the new drones already makes Warsaw a potentially reachable target.
At the same time, The Telegraph emphasizes that there is currently no evidence of Russian plans to attack Poland or other NATO countries.
“Drones have fundamentally changed the nature of modern warfare and have become a decisive factor on the battlefield,” a NATO representative told the publication.
According to DroneSec’s assessment, the expansion of Russia’s network of bases allows it to launch a greater number of drones simultaneously and reduce the time it takes for them to reach their targets.
This, in turn, could significantly increase the scale of future Russian airstrikes on Ukraine and complicate the work of Ukraine’s air defense forces.
This was reported by The Telegraph.
Belarus continues to build up its military presence near the border with Ukraine and is forming a new airborne assault brigade, though there is currently no immediate threat of an offensive. This was announced by Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, who emphasized that the situation is under constant monitoring.
Belarus has begun forming a new 37th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, which will be stationed near Gomel—approximately 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Alexander Ilyukevich, commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Belarusian Armed Forces, spoke about this on a Belarusian military television channel.
As a reminder, Lukashenko stated that Belarusian servicemen will not take part in the war against Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that one should not be naive about Belarus’s role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to him, Minsk is under strong influence from Moscow, and most of the Belarusian government’s decisions are effectively dictated by the Kremlin.
