Ukraine Says Belarus Hosts Relay Sites Boosting Russian Drone Attacks

October 2, 2026 at 05:03 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service says Belarus is providing sites for repeaters that boost signals for Russian attack drones during strikes on western Ukraine. Spokesperson Andriy Demchenko said the devices are switched on during drone launches, including those targeting Volyn region and the border with Poland. Ukraine is working to shut down the repeaters, even as their locations change to evade detection.

Key Facts

Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, said Belarus is providing sites for repeaters that boost signals of Russian attack drones.
The repeaters are switched on during drone launches, including those targeting Volyn region and the Ukrainian border with Poland.
The locations of the repeaters change, apparently to make the equipment harder to detect.
Ukraine is working to shut down the repeaters in Belarus, with other agencies and units possibly involved.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is not recording any concentrations of enemy troops near the Ukrainian-Belarusian border.

Repeater Operations

Repeaters in Belarus are switched on when Russia launches drones and subsequently switched off. Some repeaters are not permanently stationed and are moved between locations, as they can be switched on in different places. The operation of these devices is coordinated with Russia and activated specifically during launches of attack drones heading toward Ukraine's western regions. Such repeaters boost the signal for Russian 'Shaheds' and 'Gerberas,' enabling drones to advance farther into Ukrainian territory, particularly toward Rivne, Volyn, and Lviv regions.

Border Situation

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is not recording any concentrations of enemy troops near the Ukrainian-Belarusian border. However, Russians are using technical equipment on Belarusian territory that helps their drones move deeper into Ukraine. At the end of June, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Belarus was completing the construction of military infrastructure near the border with Ukraine.