Russia and Ukraine Race for Control of the Electromagnetic Battlefield

Russia and Ukraine are locked in an accelerating contest for control of the electromagnetic spectrum, using electronic warfare to disrupt enemy weapons and protect their own operations.

The struggle centres on jamming and electronic deception, with both sides seeking to disable drones and missiles or prevent them from reaching their targets. It is a battle over the signals that weapons rely on to navigate, communicate and operate.

Jamming aims to interrupt those signals, while electronic deception seeks to mislead systems rather than simply cut their connections. Both approaches can undermine a weapon’s effectiveness without physically destroying it.

Artificial intelligence is also part of the competition, as Russia and Ukraine pursue ways to overcome opposing systems and respond to changing electronic threats. Each effort to disrupt an adversary creates pressure to develop a means of bypassing that disruption.

Alongside the visible fighting, this less visible contest has become a struggle for battlefield advantage. Both sides are seeking to turn control of the electromagnetic spectrum into an edge that could help shape the course of the war.