Russia's long-range drone campaign against Ukraine could be facing a significant setback after relay stations in Belarus were reportedly switched off, depriving Moscow of key battlefield capabilities even as attacks continue. Ukrainian officials say the move will not stop Shahed drone strikes altogether, but it could sharply reduce their effectiveness by stripping away real-time control and reconnaissance functions. Attacks Continue – But With New Limits According to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's defence minister, Russia will still be able to launch Shahed drones using pre-programmed GPS coordinates. What it will lose, he argues, is the ability to guide drones in flight through relay networks. Without those communications links, operators can no longer adapt attacks to changing battlefield conditions or redirect drones towards emerging targets. Reconnaissance Capability Hit The bigger loss, Ukrainian officials say, is intelligence gathering. Relay stations allowed Russian forces to use drones not only as strike weapons but also as reconnaissance platforms capable of identifying military positions, infrastructure and air defence systems. Without that network, drones become significantly less flexible. Beskrestnov also claims Russia will no longer be able to engage moving targets such as locomotives or mobile air defence units, missions that require continuous radio control rather than fixed coordinates. Ukraine Claims Tactical Advantage Ukrainian officials further argue that Russia has lost the ability to identify gaps in Ukraine's air defence network. According to Beskrestnov, some Russian drones carry upward-facing cameras that help operators identify areas where interceptors are absent, allowing future attacks to be routed through weaker sections of Ukraine's defences. If relay stations are no longer operational, that tactic becomes far more difficult to execute. Pressure on Minsk Pays Off? The reported shutdown follows a public warning from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who gave Belarus one week to dismantle four relay stations in the Gomel and Brest regions or face Ukrainian action. Belarusian media subsequently reported that Shahed drones had stopped flying along the border for several days, while Zelenskyy later announced the relay stations were no longer operating. If confirmed over the longer term, the development would mark another shift in the evolving technological contest that has become central to the war, with both sides racing to gain an edge in drone warfare. How Belarus' relay stations shutdown could impact Russia's strikes on Ukraine
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