Russian 'mothership' drones prompt Ukraine to weigh passport requirement for SIM card sales
Ukraine is considering requiring passport verification for the purchase of local SIM cards in response to Russia's latest use of FPV (first-person-view) drones, Serhii Beskrestnov, adviser to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, wrote on Feb. 18 on Telegram.
Russia has increasingly deployed so-called "mothership drones" — large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that can carry and launch smaller drones. The tactic has significantly extended the range of FPV drones, which previously operated within 20–30 kilometers (10-20 miles), to much farther distances.
Russian forces are using LTE mobile networks and Ukrainian SIM cards to remotely control FPV drones, according to Beskrestnov.
"(The Russians) figured out they could deliver FPV drones on winged UAVs to areas with strong, stable mobile coverage, and then drop the drones on targets," Beskrestnov said.
Beskrestnov added that operators control the drones from inside Russia, with UAV flight times lasting "literally minutes."
Restricting the sale of Ukrainian SIM cards is one potential countermeasure, but Beskrestnov acknowledged it is "politically unpopular" and would require changes to national legislation.
The measure would not eliminate the threat of Russian drones entirely, but it could curb the scale of what he called an "uncontrolled process" of SIM card sales.
"In Russia, SIM cards are typically sold with passports, but it is not hard to obtain them through criminals or homeless people," Beskrestnov said, adding that Russian forces primarily rely on new SIM cards.
Another potential way to limit the effectiveness of Russian FPV drones is to disable certain data transmission services. Yet Beskrestnov warned that such steps would be "painful" for the country as well.
In early 2026, Ukrainian forces documented the first use of Russian Gerbera and Molniya drones as "mothership" platforms. In February, a similar tactic was recorded with the long-range Shahed-type drone, developed by Iran and mass-produced by Russia.
Russian forces are using FPV drones carried by "mothership" UAVs to strike civilian targets and vehicles. The tactic has also fueled so-called "human safari," a brutal tactic in areas near the Russian border or Russian-occupied territories, where drones are increasingly deployed against civilians.
