Belarus takes drone control relays offline — Zelenskyy
Russian drone explodes over Kyiv, June 15 (Photo: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)
The relay
stations near the Ukrainian border in Belarus that were used for control
and guidance during Russian drone strikes stopped working on June 22, President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in June 24.
“According to information reported to me by the Commander-in-Chief [Oleksandr Syrskyi] and intelligence, since June 22 the relays have stopped working in Belarus," Zelenskyy told reporters.
He said it is unclear whether Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko's regime dismantled the relays, but "Ukraine is working on" figuring out exactly what happened to the hardware. Zelenskyy added he receives daily reports on the issue.
Belarusian outlet Flagshtok reported that no flights by Russian strike drones along the Belarus-Ukraine border were recorded over the past three days. It said such flights were commonplace in late spring and early summer 2026.
Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service, told Ukrainska Pravda that for about a week border guards have recorded fewer Shahed drone overflights from Russian territory across Chernihiv Oblast.
On June 19, Zelenskyy said relays had been installed
on towers in Belarus along two regions bordering Ukraine to help guide Russian drone
strikes. He urged Lukashenko to dismantle the relays within a week, warning,
"If you don't, we will."
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