Russia has built a jet-drone launch base about 3.5 kilometers from Millerovo air base in its Rostov region in roughly six weeks, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters in a report published Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. The site, which experts say is designed for jet-powered Geran attack drones, went from an empty field on Aug. 31 to a nearly finished complex by Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The new Russian drone base sits close to the border with Ukraine's Russian-occupied Luhansk region, Ukrainian News reported. Analysts quoted by Reuters said it could be fully operational within weeks and could launch 100 or more jet drones in 24 hours.
The report comes after a week of heavy aerial attacks on Ukraine and the collapse of a U.S.-brokered "energy ceasefire." Late on Oct. 16, President Donald Trump signed an order waiving nearly all sanctions under a new U.S. Russia sanctions law.
Key Facts
- When: Built from about Sept. 1 to Oct. 14, 2026. Reuters reported it on Oct. 15.
- Where: Rostov region, about 3.5 km from Millerovo air base, home of the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment.
- What: A 0.9-square-kilometer complex with eight launch platforms.
- Status: Nearly complete. Two platforms had rails, and two more were being fitted.
- Drones: Experts say it is built for jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones.
- Capacity: An estimated 100 or more launches in 24 hours, per DroneSec. Ecker Geopolitics could not independently verify this.
- Network: At least 11 other fixed Russian launch sites are already in use.
What Happened
Planet Labs and Airbus imagery showed no construction at the site on Aug. 31, according to the Reuters report republished by The Business Standard. Work had begun by the next morning.
By Wednesday, Oct. 14, the complex covered about 0.9 square kilometers, roughly 126 soccer pitches, Reuters reported via The Moscow Times.
Ukrainian analysts got there first. On Oct. 13, the Telegram OSINT channel Absolutely Reliable Source counted eight launcher positions and 32 drone-preparation positions, Censor.NET reported. Ukrainian News also carried the channel's findings without describing any independent check. Ecker Geopolitics has not independently verified the channel's imagery.
Mike Monnik, founder and CEO of the drone-intelligence firm DroneSec, told Reuters the site was "probably a matter of weeks" from full operation, "if not earlier." He said the build pace "demonstrates the ease with which Russia can bring now-established offensive capabilities to bear rapidly," according to UNITED24 Media's account of the Reuters report.
Rob Jordan of the London-based Royal United Services Institute said the build shows Russia's faith in deep strike, "possibly to the detriment of its conventional land forces," Reuters reported. Russia's Defense Ministry did not respond to Reuters.
The report came as Ukraine was absorbing one of the heaviest bombardments of the fall. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched more than 850 drones from early Wednesday into Thursday and that there was "not a single hour when our skies were clear," ABC News reported. In a separate daytime wave on Oct. 15, Ukraine's Air Force reported 138 strike drones, 90 of them jet-powered, and said 125 were downed or suppressed, Censor.NET reported.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty posted this video on its official YouTube channel showing its teardown of a recovered jet-powered Geran-4.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYaj0QnZx9s
Timeline
| Date/Time (ET) | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug. 31, 2026 | Satellite imagery shows an empty field near Millerovo |
| Sept. 1, 2026 | Imagery shows construction underway |
| Oct. 3, 2026 | Ukraine strikes the Tsymbulovo drone base, per Ukrainian News (Censor.NET places Tsymbulovo in Oryol region) |
| Oct. 11, 2026 | Trump announces an "energy ceasefire" |
| Oct. 13, 2026 | Absolutely Reliable Source flags the Millerovo site |
| Oct. 14, 2026 | Reuters imagery shows the site nearly finished |
| Oct. 14-15, 2026 | Zelenskyy says more than 850 drones were launched at Ukraine |
| Oct. 15, 2026 | Reuters publishes its imagery investigation |
| Oct. 16, 2026, late | Trump signs order waiving nearly all Graham Act sanctions |
Who's Involved
- Russian Ministry of Defense: It is building the site and gave Reuters no comment.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine: He said Russia "deliberately chose to escalate its attacks" after getting sanctions relief, ABC News reported.
- Mike Monnik, DroneSec: He gave the main capacity and timing estimates. He also warned that weak counter-drone defenses in many NATO countries leave them exposed.
- Rob Jordan, RUSI: He judged that the pads and rails match Geran launch layouts.
- Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR): It has published technical data on jet Gerans. Ecker Geopolitics found no HUR statement on the Millerovo site as of Oct. 17.
- Absolutely Reliable Source: This Ukrainian OSINT channel first flagged the base. It said ballistic missiles, not ordinary attack drones, would be needed to destroy such sites.
Weapons and Military Assets
Geran-2 (Shahed-136). This is the Russian-built version of Iran's propeller-driven Shahed-136. Ukraine now intercepts it at high rates: above 90 percent against propeller Shaheds, DroneXL reported.
Geran-3, Geran-4 and Geran-5 (jet-powered). Reuters and the analysts it quoted said the Millerovo site could launch the Geran-4 and Geran-5. That is an expert assessment. No drone launch from the site has been confirmed. Jet drones can fly at up to 600 km/h, according to Reuters, which is faster than many Ukrainian interceptor drones can handle.
RFE/RL's investigative unit Schemes took apart a nearly intact Geran-4 and found a Chinese TJ-2000-class turbojet and Texas Instruments chips, DroneXL reported. The same report cited HUR as saying Russia builds about 3,000 Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones a month. Ecker Geopolitics could not independently verify that figure.
The Geran-5 can carry a 90-kilogram warhead and has a claimed range of almost 1,000 km, the Kyiv Independent reported in January, when HUR reported the drone's first use. Russian jet-drone attacks rose from 449 in June to 2,845 in August, according to Aerospace Global News, which did not name its source. Reuters, citing Ukrainian military data, said Russia's jet-drone use rose roughly sixfold over three months this summer.
The OSINT Picture
- High confidence: Planet Labs and Airbus imagery show an empty field turning into a complex of about 0.9 square kilometers between Aug. 31 and Oct. 14. Reuters and the Ukrainian OSINT channel both count eight launch platforms.
- Moderate confidence: The site is meant for jet Gerans. That judgment rests on the layout matching known launch tracks, per RUSI's Jordan, and on its likeness to the Tsymbulovo site in Oryol region.
- Low to moderate confidence: The OSINT channel said Oct. 12 imagery shows drones being unloaded. Reuters did not report this.
- Estimate only: The 100-plus daily launch figure is an expert estimate, not something anyone has observed.
The OSINT channel placed the site at about 48.996 N, 40.286 E. DroneSec assessed that it probably sits under Millerovo's air-defense umbrella. Ukrainian drones have previously hit a Nebo-U radar there, UNITED24 Media reported.
Imagery from orbit cannot show which drones are stored at the site, how many there are, or whether any have been launched. Planet and Airbus imagery is copyrighted and is not reproduced here.
Geopolitical Players
United States. Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" on Sunday, Oct. 11, but Kyiv said Russian strikes on its grid continued, ABC News reported. Ukraine then hit the Ryazan refinery and Su-34 bombers at Borisoglebsk. Late on Oct. 16, Trump signed an executive order waiving nearly all sanctions under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. Zelenskyy called the waiver "a gift" for Putin, RFE/RL reported.
U.S. Senate. On Oct. 6, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) urged faster action on Russia sanctions, from the oil "shadow fleet" to dual-use electronics reaching Russia's front lines. "Every day that passes without maximum economic pressure allows Moscow to sustain this military escalation," they wrote, according to the AP via ABC News.
Europe, Iran and China. European governments accuse Moscow of sabotage, drone incursions and cyberattacks, according to Reuters, and the EU recently blacklisted 1,569 Russian arms suppliers. The Geran family descends from Iran's Shahed designs, and the Geran-4 that RFE/RL examined used a Chinese-class turbojet.
What It Means for the United States
This section is Ecker Geopolitics analysis.
Benefits and opportunities
- Imagery from U.S. firm Planet Labs exposed the base within weeks, showing the value of America's commercial space sector.
- Teardowns finding U.S.-made chips in Gerans give Treasury and Commerce specific supply chains to cut, at no cost in troops or dollars.
- Ukraine's experience against jet drones offers lessons for U.S. bases facing Iranian-designed threats.
Risks and dangers
- More fast drones mean more requests for costly U.S. interceptors that compete with American stockpiles.
- Waiving Graham Act sanctions while Russia expands strike capacity may weaken U.S. leverage.
- Thin NATO counter-drone defenses also leave U.S. forces in Europe exposed.
- Ukraine's military Starlink speed cap could hamper strikes on launch sites like this one.
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What's Next
DroneSec expects the site to be operational within weeks, and Kyiv expects heavier jet-drone and missile attacks this winter, according to Reuters. Watch for the first confirmed launches from Millerovo and for any Ukrainian strike on it. Ukraine is fielding new interceptor drones built to catch jet Gerans, the Kyiv Independent reported.
In Washington, the Graham Act requires an unclassified report explaining the waiver, RFE/RL reported.
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Sources
- The Moscow Times (Reuters): Russia Builds Major New Drone Attack Base in 6 Weeks, Satellite Images Show, October 15, 2026
- The Business Standard (Reuters): Russia builds major new drone attack base in six weeks, satellite images show, October 15, 2026
- UNITED24 Media: Russia's New Drone Base Could Launch Over 100 Jet-Powered Drones Daily, Expert Warns, October 15, 2026
- Kyiv Independent: Russia builds massive new launch base for jet-powered attack drones in six weeks, October 15, 2026
- Censor.NET: Russia's Millerovo drone launch site nears completion, OSINT reports, October 13, 2026
- Ukrainian News: Near the border with Luhansk Oblast, Russia built a drone launch site in one month, October 15, 2026
- Aerospace Global News: Russia builds vast jet-drone launch base in six weeks, October 16, 2026
- DroneXL: Russia Geran-4 teardown finds hobby jet engine, Texas Instruments chips, September 28, 2026
- Kyiv Independent via Yahoo News: Russia deploys Geran-5 jet drone, January 2026
- ABC News: Russia targets Ukraine with massive aerial attack including more than 850 drones, October 15, 2026
- Censor.NET: Ukraine downs or suppresses 125 Russian drones on October 15, October 15, 2026
- RFE/RL: Trump waives Graham Act sanctions on Russia, October 17, 2026
- The White House: Implementing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, October 16, 2026
- ABC News (AP): Senators push Trump administration to act swiftly on Russian sanctions, October 7, 2026
- RFE/RL on YouTube: What You Need To Know About Russia's New Geran-4 Drone, September 24, 2026