Ukraine Uses Electronic Warfare to Force Shahed Drones to Deviate into Russian or Belarusian Airspace, ISW Report Finds

Ukraine’s advancements in electronic warfare (EW) are enabling the Ukrainian Armed Forces to effectively counter Russia’s increased use of Shahed drones in mass attacks, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on December 2.

“Russia’s growing domestic production of Shahed drones has allowed for more frequent drone assaults on Ukraine, but Ukrainian electronic warfare innovations are allowing for a more effective response,” ISW noted.

On the night of December 1-2, Russian forces launched 110 Shahed drones and other decoys against Ukraine. ISW experts believe this tactic aims to identify and overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.

However, Ukraine’s EW systems forced 50 of the drones off course, resulting in nearly half (45%) being “lost” compared to 22% in October.

“Ukrainian EW capabilities have improved to the point where forces can either land Shaheds or force them to deviate into Russian or Belarusian airspace,” the report said.

The effectiveness of Ukrainian EW also burdens the joint Russian-Belarusian air defense system.

On November 24-25, an unprecedented 38 Russian drones entered Belarusian airspace, according to independent Belarusian monitoring group Hajun. Belarus scrambled aircraft in response, signaling unpreparedness for the influx and indicating Russia did not anticipate such consequences from Ukraine’s EW efforts.

Previously, Le Monde reported that Ukraine is using advanced electronic warfare systems to intercept and alter the satellite coordinates of Russian Shahed strike drones, redirecting them back into Russian and Belarusian territory.