A Ukrainian military expert has published images of a downed Russian reconnaissance drone, allegedly equipped with a Starlink satellite terminal.
According to Defence Blog, the photos were shared by Serhiy Beskrestnov, also known by the callsign “Serhiy Flesh.”
One of the images shows the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was shot down in a forested area. A closer shot reveals a technical label attached to an internal component of the drone, identifying it as a product manufactured in Russia by the company Revoteh OOO, under the trade name “Raskat.”
The photos and Beskrestnov’s statement point to the presence of a Starlink terminal on board the UAV, indicating the active use of Western civilian satellite communication equipment in Russian military operations.
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“Now I can say for sure: the Russians are using Starlink in drones for aerial reconnaissance,” Beskrestnov wrote in a public statement.
The system appears to be a compact PC designed for embedded applications, possibly serving as a processing node for sensor data or communications management within the UAV.
According to the label information, the drone’s computer uses the Windows 11 operating system, raising questions about the drone’s data processing architecture.
Starlink, owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk, previously denied that its satellite terminals were being used by Russia for military technology purposes, suggesting that the Russians are obtaining these terminals second-hand.
Photos: Serhiy Beskrestnov. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
