Pentagon blames Russian e-warfare for failed Ukraine counteroffensive
3 Min Read
The US Military Commander Josh Kozlov reveals that the Pentagon is “taking notes” on the Russian tactics to prepare for future direct hostilities.
-
In this photo from December 25, 2022, a Ukrainian soldier watches a drone feed from an underground command center in Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region. (AP)
The failure of Ukraine's counteroffensive for the past three months has been blamed on Russia's advanced electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, according to the British Royal United Services Institute and other military expert organizations. However, as revealed by US Military Commander Josh Kozlov, the Pentagon is “taking notes” on the Russian tactics to prepare for any future direct hostilities.
A report by the Financial Times published on Monday said that the NATO member nations are gearing up for what is being billed as the largest military exercises since the Cold War. The drills set for spring, titled "Steadfast Defender," will involve the participation of the organization's joint command, alongside approximately 41,000 military personnel. The primary focus of these exercises is to simulate the defense against a hypothetical Russian attack on a NATO member state
A military-focused US media outlet quoted Koslov as saying that during the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in Maryland.
Koslov, the head of the US Army 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing established two years ago to match rival electronic warfare, stated that both Russia and Ukraine have shown impressive abilities on the ground.
Read next: US 'lying' about failed Ukraine counteroffensive: Ex-CIA analyst
He said: "The agility being displayed by both parties, in the way that they’re executing operations in the spectrum, is awesome,” adding that “Both sides are doing the cat-and-mouse game very, very well... In the future, for us, if we do confront a peer, being agile and being rapid is the key to success in the spectrum".
Failed Western testing
Russian EW tactics have previously intercepted drones from attacking Russian territory, affected Western targeting systems, and disrupted communications between Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine has been trying to up its game by resorting to desperate measures such as repeatedly asking the West to provide it with weapons while offering its land as a testing range for weapons.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in June that “for the military industry of the world, you can't invent a better testing ground,” than the battlefield in Ukraine.
Ukraine's not even handling either the weapons or the Western-provided funds correctly, as Ukrainian authorities have embezzled over 100 billion hryvnias ($2.7 billion) from the state budget through the procurement of overpriced and subpar ammunition, equipment, and air defense weapons, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said last week.
"According to the most conservative estimates, more than 100 billion budget hryvnias were misappropriated," Azarob said on his official Telegram channel.
Read more: Majority of Ukrainians blame Zelensky for widespread corruption: Poll
