On 26 January, an unusual situation occurred in Kyiv during an air raid alert. The warning was issued without simultaneous alerts in neighboring regions. The reason was a Russian drone that, according to eyewitnesses, was spotted over the capital even before the siren was on.
At the same time, sirens were not activated in Kyiv or Chernihiv regions, raising serious questions about how the drone entered the city’s airspace.
Possible link to new Russian UAVs
The incident occurred amid statements by electronic warfare and communications expert Serhii Beskrestnov, also known as Flash, who reported Russia’s use of a new BM-35 drone, including during an attack on Dnipro.
According to him, the BM-35 may use Starlink for control, which fundamentally changes the threat level.
“When Shaheds start flying with Starlink, it’s only a matter of time. Possibly even days, not months. This is a big problem for us,” Beskrestnov stressed.
Such drones are largely resistant to electronic warfare, as they do not rely on standard navigation channels. In effect, this would transform a “blind” strike drone into an FPV-like system that an operator could control directly from Russian territory.
Currently, there is no information on how to down these types of drones.
Drone over central Kyiv without warning
Civic activist Taras Shamaida pointed out the unprecedented nature of the situation.
“I’ve never seen this before. An alert because of an enemy drone over Kyiv, while there is no alert and there was none in Kyiv or Chernihiv regions," he said.
According to him, this may indicate that the drone reached central Kyiv without being detected by early warning systems in neighboring regions.
Social media users also reported drones flying over the capital without advance alerts, further heightening concern.
Reconnaissance ahead of missile strikes
Experts do not rule out that such UAVs could be used not only for strikes but also for reconnaissance ahead of larger missile attacks.
This is happening against the backdrop of diplomatic statements about possible negotiations to end the war, including comments by US President Donald Trump about Russia’s alleged readiness to stop attacks and fighting in Ukraine.
What is known about the BM-35
- The first reports of BM-35 use appeared in 2025
- The drone has already been used to attack frontline settlements
- One BM-35 previously struck the Sumy Regional Military Administration
- It has a delta-shaped wing and an unknown warhead weight
- It contains at least 41 foreign components, including parts from the US, Switzerland, and Taiwan
- Most components originate from China
The use of such drones causes not only physical damage to civilian infrastructure, as per Militarnyi. also has a significant impact on the psychological state of the civilian population, as it makes alerts longer and drones much harder to intercept or take down with known electronic warfare means.
