A brand-new electronic warfare system which the Russian Armed Forces brought into service this year has been identified in eastern Ukraine, along with several other modern systems.

The sighting underlines Russia’s increasing attempts to prevent drone-based monitoring of the conflict in Ukraine. It provides yet more proof of Russia’s ongoing military involvement in the conflict in its western neighbor, and its continued investment in attempts to mask that involvement.

Over the past four years, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine has observed and photographed a number of Russian electronic warfare (EW) systems in the conflict area. These systems are known to have targeted the SMM’s drones, hindering the monitoring group’s ability to observe violations of the Minsk accords.

Last week, the monitoring group published what is likely its most important discoveries related to Russian electronic warfare in the Donbas: sightings of four modern Russian EW systems, including the new RB109-A Bylina system, that was first deployed during the Zapad 2017 exercises and was only this year introduced to the Russian Armed Forces.

July 28 Sightings

Even though the OSCE SMM to Ukraine did not publish their findings until August 11, their short-range drone observed four Russian EW systems on July 28. It is unclear why the group did not publish the findings for two weeks.

In non-government-controlled areas, on 28 July, an SMM mini-UAV spotted four distinct electronic warfare systems (a Leer-3 RB-341V, a 1L269 Krasukha-2 and RB-109A Bylina, and an anti-UAV system, Repellent-1) near Chornukhyne (64km south-west of Luhansk), all seen for the first time by the SMM. On 2 August, during a flight over the same area, the UAV did not spot the same systems. On 9 August, an SMM mini-UAV spotted an armoured recovery vehicle (BREM-1) and an APC (BTR-80) near Luhansk city and three ACVs (type undetermined) near Lobacheve.

Chornukhyne is located just east of Debaltseve and firmly under Russian/separatist control, with the front line about a dozen kilometers to the northwest.

The Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation (formerly known as the Anti-Terrorist Operation, or ATO) elaborated on the OSCE SMM to Ukraine’s findings in a August 12 Facebook post. The Ukrainian military group correctly noted that these four EW systems — the Leer-3, Krasukha-2, Bylina, and Repellent-1 — are all Russian and, in some cases, have only this year been rolled out from development. The post went on to assess the presence of these EW systems to be to jam drones flying over or near Russian/separatist-controlled territory.

Indeed, a range of Russian EW systems have had success in disabling OSCE drones in the past. The OSCE SMM to Ukraine told the AFP that their drones have been jammed “dozens” of times over the past few years.

Details on Observed EW Systems

Of the four Russian EW systems that the OSCE drone noted on July 28, one of them has been previously sighted in Ukraine — the Leer-3 — and the other three — the Krasukha-2, Bylina, and Repellent-1 — have not been officially observed before in eastern Ukraine.

Repellent-1

Development on the Russian Repellent-1 concluded in 2016 and debuted at a defense expo that same year.