Ukraine disassembles new Russian drone and finds an unpleasant surprise when it looks inside

Ukrainian forces have recovered a Russian drone that crashed on their territory, only to find it marked a significant leap in the capabilities of Moscow’s unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Ukrayinska Pravda, as reported by HuffPost, this is the first modified version of the Shahed model discovered in Ukraine.

What’s inside a Russian Shahed drone?

Equipped with artificial intelligence, a camera, and an advanced radio-control system, the drone can be guided remotely from Russian positions – making it far harder to intercept or neutralize.

Serhiy “Flash” Beskrecnov, a military radio technology specialist, wrote in his blog that while it was already known Russia had been working on an upgraded version of the Shahed, “this is the first confirmed deployment.”

The drone’s radio system allows it to be operated from as far as 150 kilometers away – potentially from inside Russian territory or from frontline areas. “And from even greater distances if airborne repeaters are used in our airspace,” Beskrecnov added.

Beyond improved control, the drone’s design has also evolved. Its explosive payload has been boosted from 50 to 90 kilograms, and newer models are reportedly being fitted with Starlink terminals to ensure stable communications. Although some international outlets had suggested the drones were connecting to Ukrainian mobile networks, Beskrecnov directly refuted those claims.

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