Top Defense Ministry advisor injured in allegedly targeted Russian drone strike
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Military communications expert and Defense Ministry advisor Serhii Beskrestnov was injured in what he said was a targeted Russian drone strike on his home outside Kyiv overnight on April 20.
Four jet-powered Shahed-type drones targeted Beskrestnov's home in Kyiv Oblast, he wrote on Facebook the following morning, posting a defiant selfie from hospital. He did not disclose the severity of his injuries.
"This is the first time I've seen the enemy try to eliminate someone using Shahed-type drones in such a targeted manner," Beskrestnov said on national television.
Earlier, Kyiv Oblast authorities reported that a 51-year-old man, the same age as Beskretnov, had been injured in a drone attack and was in stable condition.
Ukrainian forces shot down two drones using interceptors, but two others reached the outskirts of Kyiv, Beskrestnov said. Beskrestnov added that his house and cars were destroyed in the attack.
The Defense Minister's advisor also said there is already confirmation that the drones were controlled from Russia, adding that, according to his data, about 20% of Russian Shahed-type drones are controlled online via a mesh network.
Better known by his callsign "Flash," Beskrestnov is the owner of the popular Telegram channel "Serhii Flash: Everything About Technology," where he writes about important new developments in drones, communications, electronic warfare, and other technologies used by both sides on the battlefield.
In January 2026, Beskrestnov was appointed as an advisor to Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, specializing in technology issues.
If Beskrestnov's claims are correct, the attack would be a rare case of an almost successful Russian assassination attempt on a senior Ukrainian official.
Ukraine's security services, in contrast, have carried out several successful assassination operations inside Russia, including that of General and chemical weapons specialist Igor Kirillov, who was killed by an exploding scooter in late 2024.
"I was hurt, but the main thing is that I am miraculously alive," Beskrestnov wrote. "I was mentally prepared for this development of events, and it will not stop me."
