Ukraine spots Russian drones equipped with Starlink terminals

Russian BM-35 “Italmas” kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles have begun transitioning to the use of the American Starlink satellite internet system, Telegram channel "Warhronika" reports.

According to the outlet, Ukrainian forces recently detected satellite equipment mounted on a Russian drone and voiced concern over the discovery.

“The situation is changing fundamentally, and now Starlink systems are also providing our drones with stable command-and-telemetry communication channels, including video transmission and radio-command control,” the publication stated.

In December, the Telegram channel "Osvedomitel" observed that a Russian “Geran-3” strike drone was equipped with an attachment of unknown function — believed to be a module for installing satellite antennas or Starlink terminals.

That same month, the Telegram channel “Voenniy Osvedomitel” reported that in the area of the special military operation, a Russian “Molniya-2” kamikaze drone had been spotted carrying a Starlink satellite communication terminal.

By Tamilla Hasanova