Russia builds and expands at least 10 drone bases. Some could put Warsaw in range – Telegraph
Seven sites were reportedly used in attacks on Kyiv, while the wider buildout adds to Russia’s military infrastructure along NATO’s borders.
Russia has bolstered its drone capabilities by constructing or expanding at least ten bases along its borders with Ukraine and Belarus, according to The Telegraph's report on August 16, 2026. These bases provide launch capacity for advanced jet-powered attack drones, some of which could potentially reach Warsaw. While the newspaper did not find evidence that Russia intends to launch such an attack, the findings highlight Russia's growing military infrastructure near NATO's northern and Baltic borders.
Seven of the ten sites were utilized during recent Kyiv bombardments, as per tracking data cited by The Telegraph. Satellite imagery and DroneSec's analysis identified 59 launch rails, with approximately 20 capable of supporting Russia's latest long-range models and one base potentially storing over 1,000 drones. Ukrainian military intelligence states that the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones can carry 90-kilogram warheads and have a range of up to 450 kilometers and 1,000 kilometers, respectively.
DroneSec founder Mike Monnik noted that the expanded launch capacity and advanced technology heighten pressure on Ukrainian air defenses. Russia is also augmenting military infrastructure along NATO's northern flank, with new or expanded sites spanning from Norway to Kaliningrad. The Institute for the Study of War suggests that this construction likely supports future Russian operations against NATO rather than an imminent attack, as most Russian combat power remains focused on Ukraine.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
