This system is considered one of the most advanced and secretive in Russia's defense arsenal. It works by emitting radio frequency (RF) interference disrupting the control signals between the drone and its operator, forcing it to either land or hover in place until it is brought down, or its battery fails.
Am I reading this wrong, or, are they in fact saying that Russia’s most advanced defensive technology is an rf jammer?
Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko commented that he believes the Volnorez system’s capability to be overstated, describing it as practically useless. He argues that it has been deployed on the battlefield for a year without significantly impacting on the success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s (AFU) kamikaze drone attacks.
I know nothing about this guy's credentials, but this was my first thought. I have seen so many tanks getting destroyed by drones. Are these systems not getting deployed or do they not work?
Probably a bit of both. I'm sure Russia has been overstating how many operational systems they have. "Appear strong when you are weak", and all that. But claims and appearances only go so far.
Presumably they don't post the ones where it works and the drone crashes
I suspect it is useless just because of the pace of technological development on the Ukraine side vs. the Russian side, but just the existence of some videos where the EW isn't working doesn't mean it's not working.
Look at that, a fantastic find! Even if Sudzha is retaken, the knowledge of Russian anti-drone tech is now revealed. And it's so stupid. Like, is Russia undergoing an active internal rebellion to help make things worse? Because it's hard to imagine any effort being so constantly countered - and so effectively!