Russia Deploys Jammers and Camouflage to Thwart Ukrainian Drones

Russian forces are employing a range of countermeasures against Ukrainian mid-strike drones, including installing powerful jamming systems to disrupt Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system and camouflaging military supplies as civilian vehicles, according to Ukrainian drone commanders and pilots.

Kyiv's development of mid-strike drones—capable of accurately and cheaply hitting targets dozens of kilometres behind front lines, often flown via Starlink—has transformed the war in Ukraine. In a concerted campaign this year, Ukraine has attacked supply lines, fuel storage facilities, air-defence installations, and command centres, disrupting Russian logistics and causing fuel shortages in occupied Crimea.

But Russia is now developing numerous ways to counter these strikes, said four drone commanders and pilots who spoke to a Reuters crew visiting Ukraine's 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

According to the commanders, Russia's methods range from hiding shipments in civilian vehicles to using sophisticated electronic jamming devices that block the connections used to pilot the drones. Jamming devices have been installed near towns and military facilities, including some that disrupt Starlink systems operated by Musk's SpaceX. Most of Ukraine's mid-strike missions rely on Starlink, which allows a pilot to communicate remotely with a drone and had been considered largely immune to jamming.

Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's Defence Ministry, said Russia was deploying a jamming system called the Volna Kupol Garant that emits a signal strong enough to destabilise the Starlink connection over an area of about 20 square kilometres (7.7 square miles). He added that about ten such systems had been detected so far. However, these jamming systems themselves become prominent targets for Ukrainian drone crews, who are keen to knock out any impediment to their flights.

The 422nd regiment has taken part in operations to hit two of these systems, including one struck several hours after detection in a joint mission with the SBU security service, said a commander using the callsign 'Kolesnyk'. A video of one attack showed a large explosion as a drone struck a site containing six large boxes resembling trailers. 'As soon as we struck that installation, our Starlink-equipped [drones] flew without problems,' said a crew commander using the callsign 'Dyryhent'.

Musk has meanwhile cut Russian forces off from using Starlink to prevent Moscow from using it in its own drone strikes. SpaceX and Russia's defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was not able to independently verify the tactics being used by Russia to avoid strikes.

During Reuters' visit to the 422nd regiment, Ukrainian soldiers operating in a field under the dim red glow of head torches loaded a warhead packed with high explosive into a winged drone. Launched by a catapult, the 'Zozulya' ('Cuckoo') drone flew southeast towards Crimea under cover of darkness, targeting a base used by Russian drone pilots.

Kolesnyk and other drone commanders outlined some of the tactics Moscow is using to protect fuel and other supplies. 'We hit water tankers and the tankers were burning because there was gasoline inside,' Kolesnyk said. 'We've hit painted-up milk trucks that had diesel fuel in them.' Russian forces now run small convoys of fuel tankers protected by pickup trucks with mounted machine guns, take smaller roads to avoid surveillance, and use civilian vehicles to carry supplies. Ukraine's military intelligence told Reuters that Russian forces were using small civilian cars, quad bikes, and motorcycles to transport fuel, ammunition, and provisions to the front. They also use camouflaged dugouts, abandoned buildings, and agricultural structures to conceal supplies.