It is becoming increasingly difficult for Ukraine to hide from Russian eyes the large number of soldiers it is gathering for its major offensive, so it had to find new strategies to confuse the enemy.

In a trench on the eastern front, a Ukrainian mortar team knows that Russia is not only trying to track them with drones, but also uses electronic warfare to try and pinpoint your position.

The men of the 28th Ukrainian Brigade may have access to 21st century technology: satellites, smartphones and tablets, to help communicate and identify targets. But they also use a machine from the distant past.

A relic that wouldn’t look out of place in a trench during WWI: an old pendulum telephone.

Countering Russia’s technological power

Vlad and his men pick up the field phone every time they go to fire a mortar. The dull timbre produces a sound from another era. To make outgoing calls, they have to wind a crank. It’s like a scene from a black and white movie.

Vlad grabs the cables that extend to other nearby trenches. He says it is the most secure means of communication and that “it is impossible to intercept”.

He says Russian electronic warfare systems can detect and intercept cell phones and radios, but pointing to his old field phone, Vlad says, “This technology is very old, but it works very well.”

Ukrainian soldiers are aware of Russian capabilities to intercept or disrupt communications. Photo: BBC World

Russia’s conventional forces may have fared poorly and suffered heavy casualties so far, but that’s not to say the Kremlin doesn’t have some of the world’s most advanced electronic warfare systems: invisible means of attacking an enemy. and to intercept or block communications. .

With these systems in fixed defensive positions, the Ukrainian advance will be more dangerous and difficult: Russian Zoopark radars can locate artillery fire, Zhitel vehicles detect, track and jam radio frequencies, and Borisoglebsk-2 can interfere with satellite communications such as GPS.

the era of drones

Ukrainian engineers developed the Sirko surveillance drone, which tries to remain hidden from Russian eyes. GETTY IMAGES Photo: BBC World

Russia’s use of electronic warfare also makes it difficult for the Ukrainian military to use drones, an important tool for getting an aerial view of the battlefield.

At another location on the Eastern Front, Oleksii and his 59th Brigade drone intelligence unit use the cover of a bombed-out building to fly their small Chinese commercial drone to identify Russian positions.

In the early stages of the war, Ukraine seemed more adept at using drones. But Oleksii says so now “the sky is full” with all kinds of drones. He says that the Russians also use the same models, but they have more. Although he believes they “could care less”.

Oleksii says he has already lost five small Chinese-made drones and his brigade “could lose three to four drones a day”. It says the enemy has access to radio-electronic warfare stations and anti-drone guns that can “broadcast jamming and disrupt communications” to disable their drones.

But in capable hands, he adds, a small commercial drone like a Mavic can last “two to three weeks.”

They try to avoid detection by using encryption and adjusting the geolocation of their drones. Whoever flies over the Russian trenches is using a VPN in Australia, making it look like he’s flying over that continent. But that’s what it says disguise doesn’t always work.

On disadvantage

In contrast, Ukraine’s attempts to shoot down Russian drones may turn out to be more rudimentary, as we can see in another position.

Drones have become important tools during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Photo: BBC World

Ukrainian soldiers point to a drone flying high in the distance. It’s an Orlan, a larger Russian-made drone that can monitor or intercept communications. This time he inspects nearby Ukrainian defense positions. direct artillery fire.

We hear the hiss of shells before we see the impact and clouds of smoke in the distance.

The reaction of the nearby Ukrainian soldiers is to open fire in the air with their automatic rifles. But the Russian drone is too high. In this case, your fire is useless.

Bohdan, from Ukraine’s 10th Brigade, expresses himself at a nearby command center his frustration at not being able to do more. He says Russian drones are flying “every day, every hour, every second. They have the resources for that. We are waging war against it, but not as much as we would like.”

However, the big screen behind him shows that Ukraine can still do the same, although they now have to consider their drones as disposable warfare items.

We see a live video feed from a Ukrainian drone hovering over the nearby trenches. Russia may have an advantage in electronic warfare and more drones, posing a challenge for Ukraine’s next strike.

But Russia has still failed to gain control of the skies or defeat Ukraine’s resistance and ingenuity.