The return of the threat from the north became the main topic of the morning briefing by Ukrainian military experts. Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Serhiy Besskrystnov, known in professional circles by the callsign "Flash," voiced alarming data: Russian troops have likely resumed using Belarusian territory to relay control signals for combat drones.
The reason for such conclusions was a morning attack on a gas station in the city of Malyn. According to Ukrainian radar systems, the enemy-controlled Shahed drone followed a complex flight trajectory. The UAV moved along the Belarusian border, then crossed the highway near Korosten, and only after that, changing course, struck an infrastructure object.
Technical impossibility without intermediaries
Experts describe the drone's behavior as "targeted" and characteristic of manual control via a built-in camera. The key factor indicating the use of relays was the flight geography. The distance from the attack point to the Russian border is about 260 kilometers. A direct radio control link does not work at such a distance. At the same time, there were no other relay drones in the air at that moment that could have ensured communication.
"It is critically important for the Russians to attack western Ukraine with online-controlled drones, but they cannot implement this without relays in Belarus," emphasized Serhiy Besskrystnov.
Scenarios for infrastructure use
The situation with the relays remains uncertain. The advisor to the head of the defense ministry does not rule out that the equipment could be installed "quickly and easily," possibly even without the knowledge of the official authorities of Belarus.
"Whether Lukashenko will withstand 'persistent requests' for relays, I do not know. I also do not rule out that relays could be installed without the knowledge of the Belarusian authorities," noted the expert.
Final conclusions must be made by the relevant services after a detailed study of the situation and the interception of radio signals.
Diplomatic and military history of the conflict
The issue of relays has become one of the acute topics in the relations between Kyiv and Minsk in recent months. As early as June 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Alexander Lukashenko with an ultimatum: dismantle the relays within a week. The head of state warned that in the absence of a response, Ukraine would destroy these objects itself.
Against the backdrop of these statements, Belarusian media reported the cessation of Russian drone flights along the border. On June 24, Zelenskyy confirmed that the relays were no longer working. However, the situation turned out to be cyclical: recently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, reported that Belarus had reactivated one of the relays, after which he stated that this would not happen again.
