Ukraine takes down its own drones in ‘friendly fire’ as Russia makes large advance - July 24, 2024
- Jul 23, 2024
- 2 min read
July 24, 2024
Moscow targets poorly organized and vulnerable units in Donetsk region as Kyiv’s electronic warfare capabilities hinder its own progress.
Ukrainian units have been jamming their own drones in the sky as Russia capitalizes on poor decision making to advance almost four miles towards a key garrison town..
Yuriy Butusov, a widely respected Ukrainian journalist covering the war, reported that Russian forces were deliberately targeting poorly organized and vulnerable units in a push for the Donetsk region town of Pokrovsk. He said a lack of coordination between Ukrainian units’ electronic warfare jammers meant a “significant number of our own drones” had been destroyed in a post on social media.
He said a lack of coordination between Ukrainian units’ electronic warfare jammers meant a “significant number of our own drones” had been destroyed in a post on social media. “A critical problem is the lack of a single competent authority for all drone and electronic warfare forces, which continue to be used in a scattered and uncoordinated manner,” Mr Butusov wrote. “Our own electronic warfare destroys a significant number of our own drones. Drone units are assigned tasks without regard to tactical and technical capabilities.”
He noted that, unusually, the advancing Russian infantry assault groups were no longer targeting vulnerable lines of defense. Instead, they focus their probing attacks on “those brigades that have the weakest command and organization, poor control and cohesion”, the journalist wrote in his battlefield update.
“When a poorly managed brigade is attacked, it cannot hold even a narrow line,” he added. “Therefore, all marching replenishment and reserves are used to reinforce the weakest units that suffer the greatest losses.
“This does not allow for the creation of significant tactical reserves that would have time for additional training, could more often rotate soldiers to zero, and equip the second and third lines of defense.”
