Ukraine’s drones have been employed extensively in the ongoing conflict with Russia, but their effectiveness isn’t the same now that Russia deployed more sophisticated electronic warfare countermeasures.
This is a significant setback for Ukraine, which relies heavily on drones to gain intelligence and provide targeting information for artillery and airstrikes.
Ukraine is getting into trouble – and Russia is consolidating its power
Ukraine is now facing a significant problem as its drones are becoming increasingly ineffective against a well-armed and prepared adversary.
This could have severe implications because Ukrainian forces will have to rely more on ground troops and less on air power.
Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities have been steadily improving – and they are now able to jam GPS signals and disrupt communications. This has made it very difficult for Ukraine’s drones to operate, and many have been shot down or forced to land in enemy territory.
They are using the Tor missile system to shoot down Ukraine’s drones.
Or the Krasukha to disable drones like the Bayraktar that used to be extremely dangerous a few weeks ago.
Consequently, Ukraine is now in a very difficult position, and it is unclear how it will be able to continue fighting as Ukraine’s drones can’t operate in areas near the Eastern front lines where Russian troops are.
Drones are not a one size fits all solution
Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 drone shot down near Mariupol pic.twitter.com/INnMlZAC1f
— Military Advisor (@miladvisor) February 24, 2022
According to a recent report, Ukraine’s drones are becoming less effective due to several factors.
One is the increasing use of counter-measures by the Russian forces. Another is that the Ukrainian military is over-relying on them to the point where their movements are becoming predictable.
In addition, the drones are simply not as sophisticated as those being used by the Russians. As a result, they are being shot down with greater frequency and are not providing the intelligence or battlefield advantages that they once did.
This is leading to calls for a change in strategy regarding using drones. It remains to be seen if and how this will happen, but it’s clear that the current approach is not working as well as it once did.
Ukraine’s power is slowly fading away
Russia full Control of Luhansk region as Ukrainian Forces Retreat From Lysychansk. pic.twitter.com/IeWDZNkb5h
— M.G Kevin (@KevinJu18363611) July 4, 2022
Ukraine has many casualties and will hardly retake the Donbas region if the war continues this way.
The economy is in shambles, and the government is struggling to keep things together. Additionally, there’s no end in sight to the conflict.
Video of a Russian tank in Mariupol firing at buildings. https://t.co/TpWxpQlLgb pic.twitter.com/4Eza4tmNLr
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 31, 2022
Now, the Ukrainian troops are fighting in a hostile zone where they are not particularly welcome. In the Donbas, many of the Ukrainian troops, like those of the Azov Battalion, are quite hated for the alleged crimes committed against Russian civilians or Ukrainians of Russian descent… And Ukrainian troops have been bombing the place for years.
So, in this area, they don’t have any advantage while Russians have all the manpower and equipment. Also, they are next to the Russian border and can launch attacks without even going into Ukraine.
Ukraine’s drones are not the stars of the war anymore
Drone strikes that were once infallible no longer make any difference – and now, Ukrainian troops are being hunted by Russian drones.
Featured image credit: Ukraine’s drones Bayraktar TB2 by Army.com.ua. Licensed under CC by 4.0
