Ukraine’s forces have captured an example of an electronic warfare (EW) system used to protect Russia’s tanks, along with documentation on how it operates, it has been reported.
Vladimir Putin’s forces are trying to stabilize the front line in the southwest Russian region where Ukraine launched a surprise operation on August 6 in which Kyiv has claimed it controls over 70 settlements and 385 square miles of territory.
Amid Ukraine’s claims of territorial gains and trophy pieces of Russian equipment are reports Kyiv’s troops have also seized a tank-mounted “Volnorez” EW system and documents that show how it works.
The system, whose name means “Breakwater” in Russian, is used to protect military vehicles from drone attacks and was first seen in use in 2023, mounted on T-80BVM main battle tanks.
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Russian newspaper Argumenty i Fakty has described Volnorez as: “An advanced electronic blocking system designed to protect tanks and other military equipment from UAVs.”
The devices act by disrupting drone signals, which information portal Unmanned Airspace said gives vehicles and those near them, “enhanced levels of protection in an increasingly intense conflict.”
Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov posted a video of the electronic warfare system after it had been captured, saying it had been found in its original packaging.
Ukrainian military news site Militarnyi noted how the system is used to combat FPV drones and was designed as a cone that is attached to a tank’s armor with magnets.
According to Unmanned Airspace, Volnorez can disrupt drone signals from ranges in excess of one kilometer (0.6 miles), providing jammer-equipped vehicles with enhanced levels of protection.
“The drone is supposed to lose communication with the control station and veer off course, allowing the carrier to avoid being hit,” Militarnyi said. “The Russians are keeping the technical details of their product secret, but the captured documents may disclose these specifics.”
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.
The news comes as Ukraine’s incursion shows no signs of relenting. Alexey Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk, on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of Glushkovo, 12 miles from the Ukrainian border and 42 miles northwest of Sudzha, where Ukrainian soldiers have been filmed removing Russian flags from buildings.
Smirnov said this week that 121,000 people had left Kursk Oblast and that authorities would evacuate a total of 180,000 people from the region.
Ukraine’s push over the lightly defended frontier is the biggest challenge Vladimir Putin has faced in his full-scale invasion and is having logistical and security impacts within Russia.
Satellite imagery from Maxar has shown newly dug field fortifications, including trenches and anti-vehicle ditches, southwest of the town of Lgov and that the fortifications are as far as 27 miles away from the border.
CNN has reported on how Russian job portals are advertising trench-digging positions, with workers being offered pay rates of between 150,000-371,000 rubles ($1,600-4,000).
