Russia has equipped ten bases for mass launches of long-range kamikaze drones in border regions and occupied Ukrainian territories, The Telegraph reported, citing leaked documents and satellite imagery analyzed by intelligence firm DroneSec.

Journalists found at least 59 new launch rails — track systems used for takeoff of fixed-wing drones without a traditional runway — located along Russia's border with Belarus and Ukraine. Some sites were converted from military bases and civilian airports, while others were built from scratch.

According to DroneSec, about 20 of the newly installed rails are longer than usual, indicating the ability to launch the latest long-range strike drones, including the jet-powered Geran-5. Analysts warn that rapidly developing technologies could be used against Europe, as some bases place the most powerful drones within reach of Warsaw.

At one base, storage facilities are designed to hold more than 1,000 drones at a time, and additional launch rails are being built at several key sites. Moscow is actively upgrading the Iranian Shahed drone, deploying new high-speed jet modifications capable of striking targets at a distance of nearly 1,000 kilometers. Using these new modifications from the bases would allow strikes on the Polish capital.

Open-source monitoring data showed that seven of the ten identified sites were used during recent massive Russian strikes on Kyiv. The sites are located in the Smolensk, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov regions, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Krasnodar Krai, and Crimea.

The bases are supplied by several ammunition factories across the country, including the Alabuga special economic zone — a Russian drone production complex that manufactures 6,000 units per year.

Mike Monnik, CEO of DroneSec, said the Kremlin has "significantly expanded" its drone network in an attempt to "attack Ukraine and threaten such attacks on NATO states." A NATO official told The Telegraph that the alliance is "ready to defend every inch of allied territory" and will continue to enhance its readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.

Earlier, European and US intelligence officials repeatedly stated that Moscow is considering an armed provocation on Polish territory, missile or drone attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic region, and false-flag provocations using fake Ukrainian drones.