Ukraine Struggles with Russian Superiority in Electronic Warfare, Battles for Intelligence and Communication.
Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to face significant challenges in electronic warfare (EW) at the frontlines. The US think tank ISW reports this, citing “The Economist.” According to The Economist on November 23, superior Russian EW systems are hindering Ukraine’s reconnaissance, communication, and offensive capabilities. The Economist draws on Western experts who point out Russia’s major focus on developing and producing superior EW capabilities, while Ukraine struggles to produce equivalent systems and EW-resistant weapons domestically.
General Zaluzhny Calls for Improved Ukrainian EW Strategies
General Valeriy Zaluzhny, the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief, concluded in his essay “Modern Positional Warfare and How to Win It” that Ukrainian forces need to improve their command and control processes for EW complexes, increase EW production capacities, and rationalize the use of volunteer organizations. According to ISW, these measures are necessary to enhance Ukraine’s defensive measures against EW and to develop new, EW-resistant drones. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is working on developing drone variants that are more resistant to Russian EW systems and successfully producing them on a large scale.
Shortcomings in Russian EW Systems
Russian sources, as per ISW, have repeatedly expressed concerns about shortcomings in Russian EW systems. They cite superior Ukrainian EW and air reconnaissance systems as reasons for Ukrainian advances, claiming that Ukrainian EW systems significantly disrupt Russian communication. ISW reported on November 25 that the effectiveness of Russian EW systems is inconsistent across the entire front, enabling Ukraine to continue deploying drone-based reconnaissance and offensive complexes.
The assessments of Russian military bloggers on which side possesses “superior” EW systems are inconsistent. Western assistance, ISW suggests, could enhance Ukraine’s ability to precisely strike targets, disrupt Russian advances, and lay the groundwork for further Ukrainian offensive operations.
Image: Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0,Military exercises Center-2019-02.jpg, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)