Ukraine downing 20 Russian missiles with electronic warfare is war’s turning point – ISW

Russian forces unleashed 40 missiles at Ukraine on January 13, yet the use of electronic warfare to disable more than 20 targets could be a turning point for Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Про це пише Рубрика, посилаючись на звіт Інституту вивчення війни (ISW).

According to the latest ISW report, electronic warfare was usually credited with disabling Russian drones, but not missile systems.

Russia's campaign of strikes against Ukraine and the adaptation to counter new strike systems are part of a broader tactical and technological attack-defense race between long-range aviation and air defense capabilities.

Experts believe that Ukrainian forces can now recognize patterns in repeated Russian attacks. Accordingly, they will innovate and adapt to them.

Russia's combined attack on Ukraine

On the night of January 13, Russian forces launched a missile attack on the regions of Ukraine, using 40 targets, including cruise, aeroballistic, ballistic, aviation, anti-aircraft guided missiles and strike drones.

Ukrainian air defense forces destroyed eight, most being downed with Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.

The Air Force reported that Russia also launched six Kinzhal aerial ballistic missiles, half of which failed to reach their targets.

Key takeaways from ISW report 

• A recent video appeal by a Serbian mercenary addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin has unleashed discussions about an ongoing "clan war" within the Kremlin and the Russian information space against the backdrop of the Russian presidential campaign.
• In-fighting and factional dynamics within the Kremlin are not new phenomena and do not indicate the imminent collapse of Putin's regime, particularly because power verticals are the foundation of Putin's regime.
• Russian forces launched a medium-sized drone, missile, and air attack against Ukraine on the night of 12-13 January using a strike package similar to recent Russian strike packages.
• Russian forces are reportedly increasingly using chemical weapons in Ukraine in continued apparent violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia is a party.
• A fire destroyed a large warehouse in St. Petersburg belonging to Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries on 12 January.
• Russian forces made confirmed advances near Kreminna and Avdiivka amid continued positional engagements along the entire front line.
• Russian forces may be forming air assault brigades within combined arms ground formations as part of ongoing large-scale military reforms.