The simple act of turning on a cellphone on the battlefields of Ukraine may cause some threats. Artillery radar and remote controls for unmanned aircraft could result in a fiery shrapnel hail.
This is electronic warfare, an important but usually unnoticed part of Russia's war against Ukraine. According to AP's report, military leaders avoid talking about it for fear of compromising operations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu leave Red Square after the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2022
What is Electronic Warfare?
Electronic warfare technology is employed to identify, blind, and deceive the opponent and deliver devastating blows through targeting communication, navigation, and other crucial systems.
It is used by military forces to defend themselves by countering artillery, fighter jets, cruise missiles, drones, and other threats.
Russia was regarded to have a clear advantage in this field going into the war. Despite this, its much-touted electronic warfare prowess was barely visible in the early phases of the battle in its failure to conquer Kyiv, Ukraine's capital.
However, this tech is becoming a significant factor in the violent conflict in eastern Ukraine, where shorter and easier-to-defend-supply lines enable Russia to use electronic warfare equipment closer to the battleground.
In a statement with AP, an Aerorozvidka officer who requested anonymity said that Russia's warfare is jamming Ukraine's systems and that it is hindering them greatly.
When it comes to undermining reconnaissance attempts and commanders' interactions with troops, Ukrainian intelligence told the AP that Russia's threats are "pretty severe." He claimed that the effects of Russia's jamming of GPS receivers on Ukrainian drones, which were employed to locate their enemy and direct artillery fire, are particularly acute on the line of contact.
However, Ukraine has made some progress against Russia's electronic warfare tactics. It has taken vital hardware and destroyed at least two multi-vehicle mobile electronic warfare units, a big intelligence coup.
Read also: US and Germany Will Supply Ukraine With Advanced Rockets and Anti-Aircraft Missiles
Ukraine's Electronic Warfare
The capabilities of Ukraine's own electronic warfare are difficult to gauge, although analysts believe that it's come a long way since Russia took Crimea and sparked a separatist revolt in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
There are, however, setbacks. Russia claimed last week that it had destroyed a Ukrainian electronic intelligence center in Dniprovske, in the country's southeast. The assertion could not be independently verified, and a request for comment from Ukrainian officials was not answered.
Ukraine has also made good use of technology and intelligence provided by the US and other NATO countries. Ukraine used this intelligence to sink the battleship Moskva. Allied satellites and surveillance aircraft, as well as entrepreneur Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications network, have all provided for Ukraine.
According to the AP, electronic warfare consists of three essential elements: probe, attack, and protect.
The probe entails gathering intelligence to locate adversary electronic signals. During an attack, "white noise" jamming disrupts and degrades enemy equipment such as radio and cellphone communications, air defense, and artillery radars. Spoofing, on the other hand, confuses and deceives, resulting in munitions missing their targets when it works successfully.
In 2014 and 2015, Ukraine learned a harsh lesson about electronic warfare when Russia used it to overwhelm its forces. The Russians shot down drones and sabotaged warheads, broke through cellular networks for psychological operations, and targeted Ukrainian armor.
Related Article: Phone Shipments Will Dip by 3% in 2022, Researchers Predict, as Ukraine vs. Russia War Continues and Other Factors
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
