Russia Controls "Shaheds" From Belarus
- 18.02.2026, 18:57
Moscow is using Belarusian infrastructure to coordinate attacks on Ukraine.
Russia is using the territory of Belarus to control the "Shaheds" that are attacking the north and west of Ukraine. We are talking about a special system of repeaters near the border. "Focus" has figured out what this network is and how it can be stopped.
Ukrainian defense fixes another complication in the air war: a system of technical means has been deployed on the territory of Belarus, which actually acts as repeaters for controlling Shahed-type strike drones. Such mechanisms allow Russia to coordinate attacks across the northern and western regions of Ukraine, from Kievshchina to Volyn, and some of the strikes, particularly on energy and railroads, would be much more difficult without the use of Belarusian infrastructure. This is what President Vladimir Zelensky reported.
The use of Belarusian infrastructure to coordinate drone attacks was also previously stated by military experts. In particular, the development director of the defense enterprise and Air Force officer in reserve Anatoly Khrapchinsky noted that some of the mobile communication towers in Belarus have been refined to provide signal and navigation for Russian drones. According to him, this allows to form an additional system of coordinating drones in the air.
The same topic was explained in detail by the expert in his commentary to "Focus" - from a technical point of view: what exactly is the system of repeaters and how it works.
What are "repeaters" and why the attacks came from the north
Khrapchinsky pointed out that after the Russians lost the ability to fully use tarlink, for several days in a row air attacks took place exclusively through the northern corridor - from the territory of Belarus, through Volyn and Rivne regions.
He said this indicates that the enemy is returning to work with Mesh-network.
"We are talking about a system in which drones form a kind of "web" of communication. But to launch such a network, you need ground communication stations, which become the first source - base stations," Khrapchinsky explains to Fokus.
The expert says that mobile communication towers in Belarus, located along the border with Ukraine, have been fine-tuned to provide communication to the Shakeds.
Additional radio beacons were installed to create separate navigation elements due to the VOR/DME platform.
Navigation of targets without GPS
As Khrapchinsky explains, VOR/DME is a system that allows not using GPS. It is well known to aviators.
The idea is that they are radio beacons that operate on separate signals. Knowing their exact location, one can recalculate one's location.
The expert explains the principle simply: just as a driver, passing by a particular building, understands where he is, a drone determines its position relative to the beacons.
So Russia is trying to provide drone control without depending on GPS signals.
How Mesh-net
How Mesh-net works
Within about 150 kilometers, such a system allows for complete control of an aerial attack vehicle.
In the same range, a series of repeaters can be lined up to provide communications to other drones - even if they are much farther away, such as in the southwestern regions.
Factually, it is a matter of creating a chain of communication nodes that support long-range drone control.
Can this network be destroyed
When asked what to do about it, Khrapchinsky answers: first of all, it is necessary to destroy the repeaters.
According to him, if you disable the network of repeaters, you can actually "put down" the entire Russian drone control system. After that, they become conditionally uncontrollable means of defeat.
At the same time, he notes that this requires a proper and developed system of electronic warfare.
"We are not talking about simple 'jamming', but about creating interference in different ranges, the formation of a full-fledged electronic field that will suppress the interaction between the Shaheds themselves," says the expert.
According to the expert, it is possible to realize this, but the needs are colossal - a large number of modern means are required.
At the same time, he notes that he is already working on a solution that is aimed at countering Mesh-net. If such means are scaled up, it will be possible to form sectors where drones would lose communication, would not be able to maneuver and would become easier targets for interception.
The expert emphasizes: we are not talking about "white noise", but about a more complex countermeasure system - with proper polarization and a modern approach to REB.