Russia may be using hidden 'lunchbox-size' drone devices to counter Ukraine defenses: expert
· Fox News
Russia may be concealing signal repeaters inside Ukrainian cities to help its long-range drones evade air defenses and strike with greater precision, a weapons expert told Fox News Digital.
The Kyiv Post first reported the possible use of the small ground devices, or repeaters, which Draganfly CEO and co-founder Cameron Chell said form part of an expanding "mesh" network that allows Russian drones to relay encrypted signals across multiple connections, making drones and drone swarms far harder for Ukraine to disrupt and bring down through standard electronic jamming.
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Chell’s warning also came amid escalating diplomatic notices for the region, with Moscow urging foreign nationals and embassy staff to leave the capital Kyiv immediately on Oct. 3, highlighting "mortal danger" as Russian forces threatened further "massive retaliatory strikes."
"Russia has come to the realization that innovation is going to have to win this war, to the point now where they are becoming the innovative leader in this war—not just in terms of tactics, strategy, and technology, but the entire mindset is shifting," Chell said.
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Mesh networks, Chell explained, allow drones and strategically placed ground-based repeaters to relay encrypted signals across multiple connections, making many Russian drone flights harder to disrupt.
"The use of mesh networking is now making it increasingly hard for a defensive position to bring down Russian drones in an effective manner."
"With real-time precision, Russia can also now take their drone device into a particular window," Chell warned.
"You can take the device onto a particular portion of a bridge because you can make that real-time, last-minute decision live because you've got all these additional network connections that increase not just your bandwidth, but also your resilience in terms of being jammed," he added.
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Moscow's rapid technological evolution on the battlefield comes alongside unusually precise strikes on critical infrastructure in Kyiv, including major river crossings.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat confirmed Sept. 29 that Russian forces are integrating mesh networking into their drone fleet while upgrading onboard optics.
"The enemy is using high-quality materials in its UAVs and increasing camera resolution, allowing the enemy to view the situation on the ground in detail and use these UAVs for various targets. And the use of mesh networks is indeed present. Of course, this is quite dangerous," Ihnat said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
"They are using the principles of mesh networking to combat the counter-drone measures taken by Ukraine to ensure that drones can't get through or that those Russian communication links are broken," Chell said.
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"If Russia had multiple nodes that could communicate with a device and could use the device to communicate with other devices swarming the area, Ukraine would be faced with multiple, maybe even hundreds of connections to have to break simultaneously in order to bring that drone down," he said.
On Oct. 3, Serhii Beskrestnov, a defense technology adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, also warned that Russian forces may have hidden the small signal boosters, or these ground repeaters, inside Kyiv to extend drone control.
"Such repeaters are difficult to find, but we must search for them. As long as they exist, shielding the city with electronic warfare will not be effective," Beskrestnov warned.
Specifically, the repeaters are small concealed radio relay devices that receive and retransmit signals, extending the range of drone operators while helping maintain control in areas where direct communications or GPS signals may be disrupted.
"The size of these repeaters is really about the size of a large lunchbox. They're very easy to conceal, and they don't have to be turned on all the time, so they're hard to detect electronically," Chell said.
"Moving one or two or even three of these into a city the size of Kyiv can be hugely effective."
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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.
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"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.