Russian troops have begun using new electronic warfare (EW) systems capable of disrupting the operation of the Starlink satellite internet system, which the Ukrainian military widely uses to control medium-range drones, in an effort to complicate Ukrainian strikes on targets in the rear of Russian forces, Reuters reports.
According to the agency’s sources, Ukraine has significantly increased its use of medium-range drones this year, which are capable of precisely striking targets dozens of kilometers from the front line. Such strikes have targeted supply lines, fuel depots, command posts, and air defense systems, which, according to the Ukrainian military’s assessment, disrupted Russian logistics and caused fuel shortages in temporarily occupied Crimea.
"But Russia is now developing many ways to try to counter the mid-range strikes, four drone commanders and pilots told a Reuters crew that visited Ukraine’s 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment at work in the southern Zaporizhia region," the report says.
Russian troops conceal military cargo as civilian transport, use small convoys of fuel tankers escorted by armed pickup trucks, travel along secondary roads, and use civilian vehicles to transport fuel, ammunition, and food.
Russia pays special attention to electronic warfare tools. Complexes capable of disrupting the operation of Starlink, through which communication with most Ukrainian medium-range drones is carried out, are being deployed near military facilities and settlements.
