Ukraine may have to return to the practice of light blackout due to a new threat from Russia. According to RBC-Ukraine, this was stated in his Telegram channel by the President's Advisor on Defense Technologies Serhii Beskrestnov, known by the call sign "Flash". According to him, the risk is associated with the possible mass deployment by Russia of "Susanin" optical navigation modules on "Geran-5" drones and other UAVs and missiles, which may require a review of the lighting regime approaches in the country.
From fear to conscious decision
"Flash" emphasized that while in 2022 lighting restrictions were introduced "out of fear and misunderstanding," now, in his assessment, Ukraine will likely have to act consciously. Thus, returning to light blackout, according to the advisor, is viewed not as a panic measure, but as a rational response to the changing nature of the threat, in which the enemy's ability to navigate in the dark using optical guidance systems plays a key role.
Road lighting in focus
In particular, attention, according to Beskrestnov, should be paid to the lighting of roads and highway sections. These very objects, as a rule, form the most noticeable light landmarks at night and can be used in conjunction with optical navigation to increase target accuracy. This means that potential restrictions may affect not only residential areas, but also infrastructure critical for the daily movement of citizens.
Context: "Geran-5 K5-K" and optical navigation
Earlier, "Flash" reported that Russia attacked Ukraine with a new modification of the "Geran-5" designated as "Geran-5 K5-K". According to him, this missile received an optical navigation system, as well as greater range, speed, and flight altitude. It is the appearance of such modifications, in the advisor's logic, that makes relevant the question of how the lighting situation on the ground affects the efficiency of optical guidance modules.
What this means for citizens
At the moment, we are talking about a warning and an assessment of a potential scenario, rather than restrictions that have entered into force. Nevertheless, the statement indicates that the authorities may return to a practice familiar to Ukrainians from 2022 — including reducing the brightness of street lighting and restricting light sources on highways. For the population, this may mean the need to adapt again to darker streets and night trips if the threat spoken of by "Flash" is deemed sufficient to introduce appropriate measures.
