China’s drone modem pipeline: How mesh technology helps Russian UAVs penetrate deep into Ukraine

In February 2026, the Russian military lost access to the Starlink terminals it had previously used to facilitate attacks on Ukraine. As a workaround, it has since turned to the use of Geran and Gerbera drones equipped with Chinese-made mesh modems.

A typical attack involving Geran and Gerbera drones works as follows: some drones flying near the border connect to Russian or Belarusian signal repeaters and relay signals to drones operating deeper inside Ukraine. Each relay node is equipped with a powerful mesh modem.

Gerbera drones are becoming increasingly important. They are significantly cheaper than Gerans and have a similar radar signature, allowing them to serve as decoys for Ukrainian air defenses.

In 2024 Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) reported finding Xingkai Tech modems in Gerbera drones. Later, the use of these modems and the role of Gerberas in combat operations in 2026 were discussed on a major pro-Russian website. However, there was no evidence that Xingkai Tech was knowingly and openly supplying modems directly to the Russian Alabuga plant where the drones are assembled.

In an earlier investigation, The Insider found that Chinese company Shenzhen Xingkai Technology, also known as Xingkai Tech, had issued an invoice for 30 mesh modems destined for Vladivostok as part of a supply chain supporting Russian drones.