Сергей Бескрестнов. Фото: facebook.com/Serhii.Flash
Ukrainian presidential adviser on the development of defense technologies Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov has said that Russian MESH radio relays may be operating in Kyiv, allowing a control channel to be briefly established with attack drones to adjust their flight. He estimates that there may be between one and three such devices in the city.
As long as they remain operational, the effectiveness of Kyiv’s protection using electronic warfare systems will be limited, he believes.
“Throughout the entire war, I have never been wrong in my technical conclusions and forecasts regarding our enemy. I now insist that enemy MESH radio relays are being activated in Kyiv, providing a temporary, short-term control channel for Shaheds to adjust their strikes. Not many. Possibly 1–3. Such relays are difficult to find, but they need to be searched for. As long as they are there, protecting the city with electronic warfare systems will not be effective,” Beskrestnov wrote on Facebook.
As one of his arguments, he cited a drone strike on the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) building in Kyiv on September 4.
“At the moment of the strike, there were no other Shahed relay drones in the sky,” the adviser noted.
Beskrestnov also said that he had analyzed attacks on Kyiv’s bridges and the possibility of establishing a long-range MESH channel from Russian territory. In his view, the availability of online control poses a threat not only to bridges but also to air defense systems deployed nearby.
“I would add that without stable online control right up until the moment of impact, it is impossible to accurately hit a bridge pier or cables. I hope I am wrong in my assessment of the relays,” he wrote.
Beskrestnov noted that Ukrainian specialists are examining drone wreckage. According to him, they have not found any other suspected “secret” communications systems, including LTE or other systems.