Russia is using fiber-optic cables to control some of its larger, fixed-wing strike drones, making them effectively immune to the electronic warfare interference that dominates the battlefield, a top Ukrainian drone expert confirmed.
Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukraine’s defense ministry, told Business Insider this week that Moscow has used fixed-wing Molniya (“lightning” in Russian) drones tethered to their operators by fiber-optic cables on at least five occasions so far.
Beskrestnov said that he received notice of the fiber-optic Molniyas directly from Ukrainian interceptor drone pilots.
Russia and Ukraine primarily equip smaller first-person view (FPV) drones, commonly quadcopters, with fiber-optic cables, which are less vulnerable to signal jamming than radio frequency connections.
Beskrestnov, a prominent Ukrainian drone warfare expert, said the Molniyas are the first fixed-wing drones that Russia has operated with fiber-optic cables. These drones have a range of roughly 30 to 60 miles and have been spotted on strike missions near the front line in the embattled and occupied eastern Donetsk region.
The fiber-optic cables decrease the speed of the Molniya drones, Beskrestnov said, but preserve the connection.
The US military said Russia began using fiber-optic Molniya drones in late 2025. The fiber-optic tether, it said, “provides immunity to electronic jamming and maintains high-quality video transmission, although it reduces both operational range and payload capacity compared to standard models.”
Molniya drones equipped with a spool containing 25 miles of cabling, for instance, can carry a payload of around 10 pounds, according to a US military weapons information portal. A longer-range, heavier spool would, in theory, further decrease the payload.
Neither Russia’s defense ministry nor its embassy in the US responded to a request for comment.
Unjammable fiber-optic drones have become increasingly common in Russia’s war against Ukraine. They are resistant to electronic warfare and maintain a steady link between the drone and operator, as well as a clear video feed. The best defense against these drones is often to shoot them down with small arms like shotguns.
Video footage from some sectors of the front line has captured a web of fiber-optic cable strewn across fields, underscoring how popular the wired connections have become. The wires are also a hazard, forcing Ukrainian soldiers to move with caution, fearing booby traps.
Russia has historically used Molniyas for strike missions, arming them with warheads and flying them into a target to detonate on impact.
However, the Molniyas have also been modified in recent months for other missions, such as carrying FPV quadcopter drones, like a mothership. The Russian military has also equipped the drones with advanced technology, turning them into cheap yet effective reconnaissance platforms.
Fixed-wing drones like the Molniya — or the Supercam, for instance, which is used for reconnaissance — more closely resemble traditional aircraft than FPV quadcopters, which feature a box frame and four tiny propellers. They often can fly longer distances, too.
To counter the growing threat posed by Russia’s uncrewed aerial systems, Kyiv has invested in developing an arsenal of low-cost interceptor drones.
The interceptors, designed mainly to hunt Russian fixed-wing drones on strike or reconnaissance missions, are armed with small warheads. They destroy targets midair by flying directly into them or exploding nearby.
Ukraine’s booming defense industry can manufacture at least 2,000 “effective and combat-proven” interceptors a day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week.
Some models are as cheap as $1,200 — a fraction of the cost of the Russian drones, estimated to cost between $10,000 and $100,000.
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