Drones have become a critical weapon for both sides of the Ukrainian conflict, but Russia’s EW assets and lack of coordination among AFU troops put Ukraine at a disadvantage, The New York Times reports.
For some time, the Ukrainians have enjoyed a “honeymoon period” using their self-detonating drones as homemade missiles. These weapons seemed like an effective alternative to artillery shells.
Now, however, the AFU has more bad days than good days. After years of honing its capabilities, the Russian army’s electronic warfare assets have become one of its most formidable weapons.
Russia now has more REB equipment. This equipment, as the publication explains, is capable of suppressing Ukrainian signals, operating on the same frequencies and with greater power. In addition, Russian troops also demonstrate better coordination between their units than the Ukrainian armed forces.
Ukrainian soldiers, commanders and military analysts speaking to the publication said that Russian EW assets are putting pressure on the AFU’s already limited drone stockpile and threaten to leave a key component of the Ukrainian arsenal out of action, as Russia is now mass-producing drones itself.