Russians strike 50 km from front line with Molniya drones operated via Starlink – photos
Russian forces have carried out strikes at a distance of around 50 km from the front line with Molniya drones operated via Starlink.
Source: Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov
Quote: "Several strikes with Molniya drones equipped with Starlink occurred within a day along the Pavlohrad-Pokrovsk road, 50 km from the front."
Details: Beskrestnov called for extra caution when transporting critical cargo during daylight hours.
An image released shows the approximate area of the attack and its distance from the combat zone.
It also shows the impact on civilian vehicles along the road, a destroyed military vehicle and drone wreckage after the strike.
Background:
- On 15 January, Beskrestnov reported that a Russian BM-35 drone being controlled via Starlink satellite internet had been discovered for the first time. He said that the use of Starlink had previously been observed only on Russian-made Molniya-type UAVs.
- On 25 January, Beskrestnov reported that Russian forces had likely used a Shahed loitering munition operated via Starlink satellite internet near Kropyvnytskyi.
- Russian forces have been actively modernising their drones, adapting Molniya for aerial reconnaissance and converting it into a drone carrier.
- The first encounters with Molniya drones for many Ukrainian units occurred in 2024, at a distance of 18-20 km from a relatively stable front line.
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