Key facts
- Russia is using Belarusian LTE networks and repeater stations to provide stable signals for Shahed-type drones attacking Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.
- Drones used in a Sept. 12 mass attack on western Ukraine stayed close to the Belarusian border, suggesting use of Belarusian commercial LTE networks.
- Air strikes on Rivne, Volyn, and Lviv oblasts were carried out from Belarus, with signals fed through repeaters on Belarusian territory.
- President Zelensky had previously demanded Belarus remove relay stations, and Alexander Lukashenko had agreed to do so.
Russia is reportedly leveraging Belarusian telecommunications infrastructure to enhance the effectiveness of its drone attacks on Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials speaking on September 14, 2026. Presidential Advisor Serhii "Flash" Beskretnov suggested that the flight paths of Shahed-type drones during a large-scale attack on September 12 indicated the use of Belarusian commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. He noted that the drones stayed close to the border with Belarus, implying a reliance on domestic mobile networks for connectivity during these cross-border operations.
Complementing this assessment, Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service, told Ukrainian television that Russia was employing radio repeater stations situated within Belarusian territory. These repeaters, he stated, were instrumental in feeding signals to the drones during air strikes that targeted the Rivne, Volyn, and Lviv regions. The deployment of such relay stations on Belarusian soil has previously been a point of contention between Kyiv and Minsk. Earlier in the summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had issued a formal ultimatum demanding the removal of this equipment, a request that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had reportedly agreed to.
Lacking access to advanced technologies like SpaceX's Starlink, Russia has consistently employed a variety of innovative radio technologies to maintain communication with its Shahed-type drones during mass aerial assaults on Ukraine.