Ukraine Jams, Re-Directs Russian Drone Swarm Attack

By SOFREP

When it comes to modern warfare, ingenuity often wins the day. Ukraine has found a clever way to counter Russia’s increasing use of Shahed drones in mass attacks, not by simply shooting them down but by using electronic warfare (EW) to redirect these drones—sometimes even sending them into Kremlin-friendly neighbor Belarus.

This recently reported tech-savvy tactic has added a new layer of complexity to the conflict and showcased just how adaptive Ukraine has become on the battlefield.

Here’s what we know so far about this matter.

Spoofing: The Secret Weapon

So, how does Ukraine manage to “lose” dozens of Russian drones without firing a shot? The answer lies in spoofing, a sophisticated electronic warfare tactic.

Instead of jamming the drones’ signals—something they’re designed to resist—Ukrainian forces feed them false GPS coordinates, tricking them into veering off course.

“It’s like giving the drone bad directions and making it think it’s on the right path,” says John Hardie, a Russian expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, quoted from Euronews.

Spoofing gradually misleads the drones, so they end up far from their intended targets—sometimes crashing, other times flying into Belarusian airspace.