Russia's drone assaults, now featuring numerous Shahed and decoy drones, are facing growing disruption due to alleged Ukraine's enhanced EW capabilities.
China's Mavics are widely used on the frontlines for air reconnaissance, as Ukraine pushes for self-sufficient military tech production amid Chinese export restrictions.
The Russian military has successfully deployed fiber optic guidance technology for FPV drones, rendering traditional electronic warfare countermeasures ineffective against these aerial attacks.
While the extent of this technology's deployment remains unclear, Ukrainian forces are already working on countermeasures, highlighting the ongoing technological cat-and-mouse race in the skies over Ukraine.
As reported by Ukraine's Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Pavliuk, 7916 Russian drone missions were thwarted by Ukraine's Electronic Warfare from 18 to 24 June.
On 13 January, Ukrainian military officials stated for the first time that electronic warfare successfully countered part of Russian missile attacks. It was previously credited only for countering drones. Meanwhile, Russian troops have increased the use of chemical weapons several times in the first weeks of 2024, ISW assessed.
The Russian military has begun employing thermal covers, utilizing specialized camouflage gear, to evade drone detection and render their troops invisible to thermal imagers.
Ukraine confronts Russian advanced electronic warfare capabilities, facing a shortage of Western EW assistance, hindered by U.S. export limits and the fears of NATO technology falling to China.
Ukraine's Digitalization Minister Fedorov revealed plans to establish an "Army of Robots" and "Army of Electronic Warfare" to bolster military capabilities, with a focus on transparency and collaboration.