How electronic warfare is shaping the Russia-Ukraine war

Though little seen in the early stages of the war, electronic warfare has become far more of a factor in fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine

It targets communications, navigation and guidance systems to locate, blind and deceive the enemy and direct lethal blows

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A residential building damaged by fighting is seen in Kyiv earlier this year. Russia’s much-touted electronic warfare prowess was barely seen in the war’s early stages. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:02pm, 4 Jun 2022Updated: 2:28pm, 4 Jun 2022

On Ukraine’s battlefields, the simple act of powering up a mobile phone can beckon a rain of deathly munitions. Artillery radar and remote controls for unmanned aerial vehicles may also invite fiery shrapnel showers.

This is electronic warfare, a critical but largely invisible aspect of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Military commanders largely shun discussing it, fearing they will jeopardise operations by revealing secrets.

Electronic warfare technology targets communications, navigation and guidance systems to locate, blind and deceive the enemy and direct lethal blows. It is used against artillery, fighter jets, cruise missiles, drones and more. Militaries also use it to protect their forces.

Smoke rises after an attack by the Ukrainian military on a Russian army position in this still image taken from a video. Photo: Special Operations Forces Command Handout via Reuters

It is an area where Russia was thought to have a clear advantage going into the war. Yet, for reasons not entirely clear, its much-touted electronic warfare prowess was barely seen in the war’s early stages in the chaotic failure to seize the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

It has become far more of a factor in fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, where shorter, easier-to-defend supply lines let Russia move electronic warfare gear closer to the battlefield.

“They are jamming everything their systems can reach,” said an official of Aerorozvidka, a reconnaissance team of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle tinkerers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of safety concerns. “We can’t say they dominate, but they hinder us greatly.”