The occupiers, who are reprogramming Ukrainian FPV drones that were jammed by electronic warfare, say they have begun to detect viruses in them that harm computers and can reveal the location of Russian UAV operators.
The occupiers, who are reprogramming Ukrainian FPV drones that were jammed by electronic warfare, say they have begun to detect viruses in them that harm computers and can reveal the location of Russian UAV operators.
This was noticed by X (Twitter) users who support Ukraine and monitor Russian Telegram channels related to the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
«The Russians are outnumbering the FPV and are repurposing the grounded Ukrainian FPV. Now they complain that they are often infected with computer viruses», — said a user with the nickname GrandpaRoy2.
The Russians are outnumbered in FPVs and repurpose downed Ukrainian FPVs.
— Roy🇨🇦 (@GrandpaRoy2) March 28, 2025
Now they complain that these are often infected with computer viruses.
Variants include burning out the USB port, preventing reflashing, or hijacking the repurposed FPV and revealing the operator location. https://t.co/PEm5NrQi9D pic.twitter.com/8ZuWoJBE22
A similar message was spread by the Telegram channel of the project, which trains Russian UAV operators and brings together developers, engineers, and programmers working with drones.
«In addition to explosives, chemicals, and surveillance devices, the enemy has also begun adding viruses to its drones. Our operators have discovered several worm-infected birds on the front line. The enemy uses malicious software in many variations,» the project reported.
According to the Russians, in the first case, the Ukrainian virus is sewn into the drone’s «black box» and, when it is connected to the computer, burns out the USB port and makes it impossible to connect other drones to it.
«A more cunning and complex option: infecting the chip itself with a virus. In this case, it will be impossible to use the drone. The program will completely block all attempts to flash the drone», — the occupiers claim.
They claim that the most dangerous method is a stealthy virus that is not detected either when connecting or when flashing. But after Russian operators launch such a drone, Ukrainian software can either intercept the controls or report the location of the operator and the workshop to the Defense Forces.
A Russian project dedicated to UAVs advises protecting yourself from such Ukrainian drones using driver analyzers, or USB analyzers.
«At the same time, all other ports on the computer must be disabled and configurators closed. After connecting the drone, it is necessary to check the compatibility of the drivers and install a clean Win32 or Atribut on it», — the Russians note.
