Belarus Reactivates Relays for Russian Drones in Ukraine

4:02 PM ETDeveloping

World Desk

In Short: Belarus has reactivated signal relays that help Russian attack drones penetrate deeper into Ukraine, including western regions bordering Poland, according to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.

Belarus has reactivated signal relays that help Russian attack drones penetrate deeper into Ukraine, including western regions bordering Poland, according to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service. The equipment amplifies signals for Russian Shahed and Gerbera drones, allowing them to fly farther into Ukrainian territory after entering from Russia, Border Guard spokesperson Andriy Demchenko told Ukrinform on Sept. 16.

Demchenko said the relays allow Russian drones to stay close to the Belarusian border while receiving an amplified signal before moving deeper into Ukraine, including toward Rivne, Volyn, and Lviv regions. Ukrainian officials have previously said Russian drones flying along the Belarusian border have used relay equipment on Belarusian territory to maintain their signals.

In June, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that if Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko did not remove the equipment, Ukraine would do it itself. Zelensky later said the relays had stopped working as of June 22, though he did not know whether they had been physically dismantled.

The latest claim comes after a series of Russian drone attacks reaching western Ukraine. On Sept. 11, Russian drones struck a gas station near the Yahodyn border crossing with Poland and a passenger train on the Kyiv-Warsaw railway line, according to Demchenko.

The Ukrainian Border Guard Service said there is currently no evidence of a Russian or Belarusian strike force building up near Ukraine’s border that would indicate preparations for a ground invasion. However, the reactivation of the relays is seen as a significant support for Russian military operations.

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