In brief: Belarus has reactivated signal relays that help Russian Shahed and Gerbera drones penetrate deeper into Ukraine, Kyiv says. Ukrainian officials linked the equipment to a Sept. 13 attack near the Yahodyn border crossing with Poland and warned that Belarus is again aiding Russia’s drone campaign.
by Kyiv Post
September 17, 2026
Belarus has reactivated signal relays that help Russian attack drones penetrate deeper into Ukraine, including the western regions bordering Poland, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said.
The equipment amplifies signals for Russian Shahed and Gerbera drones, allowing them to fly farther into Ukrainian territory after entering from Russia, according to Border Guard spokesperson Andriy Demchenko. “Belarus is actively assisting Russia” with attacks on Ukraine, Demchenko told Ukrinform on Sept. 16.
The relays allow Russian drones to stay close to the Belarusian border while receiving an amplified signal before moving deeper into Ukraine, including toward Rivne, Volyn and Lviv regions, he said.
Demchenko also linked the Belarusian support to a Russian drone attack on the Yahodyn border crossing with Poland on Sept. 13.
Russian drones struck a gas station near the crossing and a passenger train on the Kyiv-Warsaw railway line. The Yahodyn crossing is about 2 kilometers from the Polish border.
Ukrainian officials have previously said Russian drones flying along the Belarusian border have used relay equipment on Belarusian territory to maintain their signals.
Belarus had turned the relays off
The equipment had previously been switched off after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko in June to remove the relays from the border.
The strikes reportedly hit a military airfield in Rostov and one of Russia’s five largest refineries, while falling debris caused power outages in four districts.
Zelensky said at the time that if Lukashenko did not remove the equipment, Ukraine would do it itself. Several days later, Zelensky said the relays had stopped working as of June 22, although he said he did not know whether they had been physically dismantled. Demchenko now says the equipment has been switched on again.
The Ukrainian Border Guard Service said there is currently no evidence of a Russian or Belarusian strike force building up near Ukraine’s border that would indicate preparations for a ground invasion.
But Kyiv continues to regard the Belarusian direction as a source of military support for Russia’s drone campaign.