A Shahed‑type kamikaze drone flown by the Russian Federation was observed flying over central Kiev on 26 January, followed by other unmanned aircraft on the left bank of the Dnieper. The drones, reportedly equipped with cameras and possibly guided via Starlink, flew at altitudes below 100 m, making them difficult to detect on radar. Ukrainian veteran and former company commander M. Melnik said the aircraft stayed under the radar detection threshold, allowing them to evade mobile air‑defence groups. He warned that such flights imply Russian knowledge of Ukrainian anti‑air positions. Earlier, on 25 January, Defence Minister adviser S. Beskrestnov had warned of Russia using Starlink‑controlled drones to strike Ukrainian air bases, and the Russian side had released footage of an attack on a nearby training area that damaged two helicopters. The incident highlights the growing use of heavy Upyr‑18 drones and H‑22 hypersonic missiles by Russia in the conflict, with Kyiv lacking systems capable of intercepting the latter. The event underscores the ongoing aerial threat to Ukrainian urban centres and the challenges facing their air‑defence network.

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