Russia may be placing concealed signal repeaters inside Ukrainian urban areas to help long-range attack drones bypass air defenses and hit targets with greater accuracy, according to weapons specialist Cameron Chell.
The Kyiv Post previously reported on the suspected deployment of compact ground-based relay devices. Chell, the CEO and co-founder of Draganfly, said the equipment appears to be part of a growing “mesh” system. The network lets Russian drones pass encrypted signals through several connected nodes, making individual aircraft—and coordinated drone swarms—more difficult for Ukraine to disable with conventional electronic jamming.
The assessment came as Moscow issued increasingly urgent diplomatic warnings about the region. On Oct. 3, Russia called on foreign citizens and embassy personnel to leave Kyiv, citing “mortal danger” and warning that further “massive retaliatory strikes” could follow.
“Russia has realized that innovation will have to determine the outcome of this war,” Chell said. He argued that Moscow is now emerging as an innovation leader not only through battlefield tactics, strategy and technology, but also through a broader shift in its military mindset.
Fires spread across Kyiv after Russia carried out a large-scale aerial attack on Ukraine on May 25, 2025. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)
Mesh networks connect drones with strategically positioned ground relays, Chell explained. By routing encrypted communications through multiple pathways, the system can make Russian drone missions significantly more resistant to electronic interference.
“Mesh networking is making it progressively more difficult for defensive positions to shoot down Russian drones effectively,” Chell said.
He said the technology also gives Russian operators greater control over a drone’s final approach, allowing them to make precision decisions in real time.
“A drone could be directed toward a specific section of a bridge, for example, with the final decision made moments before impact,” Chell said. The added network links increase available bandwidth while also making communications more resilient against jamming, he explained.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said Sept. 29 that Russia is adding mesh-network capabilities to its drone fleet while improving the aircraft’s onboard optical systems. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Russia’s fast-moving advances in battlefield technology have coincided with increasingly accurate attacks on key infrastructure in Kyiv, including important crossings over the Dnieper River.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat confirmed on Sept. 29 that Russian forces are equipping drones with mesh-networking systems and enhancing their cameras and other optical sensors.
“The enemy is using high-quality components in its UAVs and improving camera resolution,” Ihnat said, according to Ukrainska Pravda. He added that the upgrades allow Russian forces to observe ground conditions in greater detail and use the drones against a wider range of targets. “The use of mesh networks is also taking place. Naturally, this is highly dangerous.”
Chell said Russia is using mesh-network principles to counter Ukraine’s anti-drone defenses by preventing communications links from being easily severed and keeping aircraft connected for longer.
Chell said compact ground relays are helping build an expanding “mesh” network in which Russian drones and repeaters pass encrypted signals through multiple connections, making the aircraft harder to disrupt. (Genya Savilov/ AFP via Getty Images)
“If several nodes can communicate with one drone—and that drone can also exchange signals with other aircraft operating nearby—Ukraine may have to break dozens or even hundreds of connections at the same time to bring it down,” Chell said.
On Oct. 3, Serhii Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian presidential adviser on defense technology, issued a similar warning. He said Russian forces may have hidden small signal amplifiers, known as ground repeaters, throughout Kyiv to extend the reach of drone operators.
“These repeaters are difficult to locate, but we have to look for them,” Beskrestnov said. “While they remain in place, electronic warfare will not be able to shield the city effectively.”
The devices are concealed radio relays that receive and rebroadcast signals. By extending the link between operators and drones, they can help preserve control in locations where direct communications or GPS access is being disrupted.
Chell said the repeaters are roughly the size of a large lunchbox, making them easy to hide. Because they do not need to operate continuously, he added, detecting them through electronic means can be particularly difficult.
“Moving one or two or even three of these into a city the size of Kyiv can be hugely effective.”
Russia strikes Kyiv in a large-scale drone and missile attack. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Technical analysts also pointed to a Sept. 4 strike on the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) headquarters on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv as early evidence of the tactic.
Tracking data reportedly showed no relay drones airborne during the strike, fueling concerns that hidden ground-based repeaters may have been used to maintain communications with the attacking drone.
“They will be doing everything they can to move as many of these things not just into Kyiv, but at any location in the country, even operational battlefields,” Chell said.
“The reality is every time you put another node on a mesh network, you exponentially increase the efficiency, resiliency, and capability of that network.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sept. 28 that while Ukraine intercepts about 70% of conventional Russian drones during mass attacks, interception rates fall to 57% against newer, faster jet-powered UAVs.
Anti-drone laser system trialed on a Stryker combat military vehicle with a machine gun aimed at the sky in Ukraine during a counteroffensive. (Michelle Ursi/Getty Images)
“It is obvious that the Russians are not preparing to stop the war – at least not at the moment,” Zelenskyy said.
“Next year Russia plans to spend US$12 billion just on producing jet-powered drones and loitering munitions. And that’s only one category of weapons. Of course, this doesn’t only relate to Ukraine,” he added, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“Russia probably has the intention of, if needed, expanding this war,” Chell warned, arguing that drones themselves are becoming secondary to the communications architecture that guides them.
“The network is now the weapon, and the drone is what executes the desired result,” he said.
“This is an unbelievable moment in the tactics of what’s unfolding here with the future of warfare,” Chell concluded.
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