Kremlin EU drone smuggling: how Moscow turned Europe into a war corridor

Kremlin EU drone smuggling is becoming a defining feature of Russia’s evolving war against Ukraine, and the latest revelations from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) show just how aggressively Moscow exploited European territory to sharpen its drone attacks. Investigators uncovered a hidden supply chain that moved genuine Ukrainian SIM cards through EU countries and into Russia, where they were embedded into kamikaze drones used to strike civilians along the Dnipro River.

FSB-built network of agents and insiders

At the core of this operation stood FSB officers who stitched together a network of trusted agents and compromised insiders. They recruited residents across Kyiv Oblast, including a former law enforcement officer, and approached staff inside Ukrainian mobile operators. These collaborators collected and activated local SIM cards, then funneled them into the network for onward transit. What looked like routine telecom activity in Ukraine was, in reality, a key input to Russia’s drone war.

EU territory as a covert logistics route

The Kremlin’s strategy relied on routing the SIM cards through several EU states, masking their Ukrainian origin and complicating efforts to trace the pipeline. Once laundered through European territory, the cards moved to drone manufacturing hubs in Naberezhnye Chelny and Yelabuga in Tatarstan. Integrated into kamikaze drones, these SIM cards boosted the reliability of communications and navigation, making strikes on Ukrainian towns more precise and persistent.

SBU operation that broke the pipeline

The SBU’s response targeted both the human network and its technical infrastructure. Raids in Kyiv and surrounding areas uncovered smartphones filled with correspondence between Ukrainian collaborators and FSB handlers, as well as packages of SIM cards ready for shipment. Those arrested now face high treason charges under martial law, with possible life sentences and full property confiscation.

Why this takedown matters for Ukraine and the EU

The exposure of this smuggling route underscores two critical truths. First, Russia is willing to use EU territory as a silent logistics base for attacks that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Second, Ukraine’s security services are becoming increasingly adept at mapping and dismantling the hidden support systems that keep Russia’s kamikaze drone campaign alive.