Kathrine Frich
Russian forces are reportedly scooping up downed aircraft and rebuilding them for a sinister purpose.
Modern warfare involves a lot of recycling.
When equipment fails or falls from the sky, the other side is often waiting to pick up the pieces. Sometimes, that salvaged hardware is used to weave a very dangerous lie.
A dangerous game
Russian forces are reportedly scooping up downed aircraft and rebuilding them for a sinister purpose. A top Ukrainian technology adviser says these machines are being prepared for future provocations across the border.
Serhii Beskrestnov advises the Ukrainian president on defence technology. He recently reviewed combat footage from a camera mounted on a local interceptor drone.
The video revealed a fixed-wing aircraft that looked exactly like a Ukrainian long-range drone. But it was actually flying under Russian control, United24 Media reported.
“I can tell you with certainty that the enemy is collecting our surviving drones, repairing them, and preparing them for future provocations,” Beskrestnov said.
Blaming the victim
Aircraft crash for many reasons. Electronic jamming or simple glitches can force them down. When a machine lands mostly intact, enemy engineers can easily reprogram it or build copies.
Beskrestnov warned that Moscow plans to fly these captured models into European airspace. If an incident happens, the blame would naturally fall on Kyiv.
He asked if anyone truly believes that mysterious aircraft flying over Europe are simply Russian models with stars painted on their wings.
“It is very important that the international community understands all of this,” he added. “This is how modern hybrid warfare works.”
Neighbors on alert
Poland is already deeply worried about this exact scenario playing out.
Back in July, the Polish defence minister raised the alarm. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz warned that Russia had recovered plenty of Ukrainian equipment and could launch false-flag operations against NATO members.
Such an attack would look like a terrible mistake by Ukraine. That confusion could spark a massive political crisis between Kyiv and its closest allies, according to U24 Media.
Spillover from the conflict is already keeping regional security forces awake at night. Just last month, a Russian cruise missile accidentally flew almost 100 kilometres into Polish airspace before it finally crashed.
Sources: United24 Media
