UK Defense Ministry: Electronic warfare shortage complicating Russia’s defense against Ukrainian drones in Kherson Oblast
Russia has faced difficulties in countering Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drones during combat on the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, likely due to a shortage of electronic warfare capability in the area, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Jan. 12.
The report comes amid Ukraine’s ongoing military operations on the Russian-occupied east bank, where Russian troops have already lost around 3,500 soldiers, according to the Ukrainian Marines.
Ukrainian forces operating on the east bank have been using FPV drones equipped with munitions in conjunction with artillery to target Russian military vehicles, the ministry wrote in its latest intelligence update.
The ministry cited a Russian military blogger estimating that Russia has lost 90% of its military equipment in the area of Krynky, a settlement some 35 kilometers east of Kherson, which is said to be one of the main flashpoints in this sector of the front.
Russia's newly-formed 104th Guards Airborne Division has likely suffered "exceptionally heavy losses" near Krynky, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its Dec. 14 update.
Ukraine has been conducting cross-river raids into the occupied part of Kherson Oblast east of the Dnipro River since February, with more intensified attacks reported in August.
In the fall, Russian military bloggers reported that the Ukrainian military established footholds on the occupied bank, and geolocated footage from Oct. 19 confirmed Ukrainian presence in Krynky.
Read also: Ukrainians step up efforts to cross Dnipro, tie up Russian forces in Kherson Oblast
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