Russia Establishes New Drone Launch Pads Near Ukraine, Potentially Threatening NATO Territory
Russia has constructed at least 59 new drone launch rails across 10 locations near its borders with Ukraine and Belarus, according to an investigation by The Telegraph. These facilities, some repurposed from old military bases and civilian airports, and others newly built in rural areas, are designed to launch next-generation long-range strike drones, including Geran-4 and Geran-5 variants. These drones are capable of flying nearly 1,000 kilometers and carrying a 90-kilogram payload. The development comes as Russia has significantly increased its use of jet-powered weapons against Ukraine, with a fivefold increase in July compared to June, making them harder to intercept than propeller-powered drones. Satellite imagery and leaked documents were used to identify these new launch pads. Open-source tracking data indicates that seven of the 10 identified bases have been utilized in recent attacks on Kyiv, which has faced challenges due to a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. Russian attacks in July resu... 
