Serhii Beskrestnov
Serhiy Beskrestnov (known by the call sign "Flash") is a Ukrainian military expert and adviser who publicly comments on air defence and the use of unmanned aerial systems during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He serves as an adviser to the President of Ukraine on countering strike drones such as the Shahed/Geran type.
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Iran seeks modernized Russian Geran-5 drones for use against Israel and the US, FT reports
Iran has asked Russia to supply it with modernized Geran-5 jet drones — the Russian-developed evolution of Iran's own Shahed design — for potential strikes against Israel and the United States, the Financial Times reported, citing Western intelligence. The request marks a reversal of the original Shahed supply relationship and comes as Moscow scales up jet-powered drone production, producing more than 1,400 such units since the start of the year.
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At virtual Ramstein meeting, Germany announces Patriot interceptors and 'City Dome' shield for Ukraine
At the 36th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on 8 September, held virtually, Germany announced the urgent transfer of PAC-2 Patriot interceptors and additional AIM-9 missiles from Bundeswehr stocks, launched the 'City Dome' project to shield Ukrainian cities from drone and missile strikes, and committed to financing tens of thousands of long-range artillery shells. The UK pledged £100 million through PURL for air defense, the EU approved financing for 3.2 billion euros of Patriot missiles, and Ukraine outlined plans to contract around 1,000 Patriot missiles and several thousand additional IRIS-T missiles with partner support. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said civilian deaths in Ukraine are at their highest since May 2022 and warned that delays cost lives.
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Ukrainian forces strike Russian radar, EW and drone-coordination targets in Bryansk and Luhansk oblasts
On 4 September 2026, Ukrainian Defence Forces struck several Russian military targets, including a radar station, an electronic warfare complex, a mesh-network repeater used to coordinate drone attacks, and a unit repair base. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the strikes on 5 September and said the extent of the damage was being clarified.
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Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv, hits building opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral
On September 4, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv, opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral. A fire broke out and part of the floor structure and outer wall were destroyed. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone was directed at the office of acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, who was not in the building at the time, and ordered preparation of an adequate, tangible, and where possible mirror response.
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Zelensky's Staff meeting sets accelerated timeline for interceptor drones against jet-powered Shaheds
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff focused on accelerating Ukrainian production of high-speed interceptor drones designed to counter Russian jet-powered Shahed-type attack drones. Prototypes of the new weapons have been developed, with work underway to bring them to the required effectiveness, and specific deadlines have been set for involving business in air defense production. Zelensky framed the effort as part of an asymmetric response to Russia's growing output of high-speed attack drones.
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Ukraine shoots down Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drones near Kyiv for second day running
Ukrainian air defense intercepted Russian Geran-5 jet-powered strike drones in the Kyiv area for the second consecutive day on September 3, according to presidential advisor Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov. Six people in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, were injured by falling drone debris as air raid alerts were declared six times across the capital.