Kyiv: Ukraine is leveraging advanced electronic warfare (EW) systems to intercept and manipulate the satellite navigation of Russian Shahed strike drones, redirecting them into Russian and Belarusian territory, according to a report by Le Monde published on November 26.
“This is the result of our ‘spoofing’—intercepting satellite coordinates,” a source close to Ukrainian military intelligence revealed.
On November 26, Russia launched its largest drone assault since the conflict began, deploying 188 Shahed drones alongside four Iskander-M ballistic missiles. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the 192 air targets were launched from Russia’s Voronezh, Oryol, Kursk, and Krasnodar regions.
Ukrainian air defense forces successfully shot down 76 drones using a combination of fighter jets, helicopters, mobile air defense batteries, surface-to-air missiles, and electronic jamming systems. Another 95 drones were redirected using spoofing techniques, effectively manipulating their satellite coordinates.
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Between November 24 and 26, Ukraine achieved a new milestone by diverting 43 Shahed drones into Belarusian territory.
Ukraine’s focus on developing electronic warfare capabilities has proven crucial in countering drone threats. These systems not only disable drones but also conserve the country’s limited air defense resources. By altering a drone’s navigation, EW systems can cause them to crash, run out of fuel, or veer into unintended territory, as highlighted by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
