According to a number of Ukrainian and foreign media reports, Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) units have developed and tested a technique that allows them to knock down the sights of Russian Kinzhal anti-ship and aeroballistic missiles without direct fire interception. This does not involve physically destroying the missile in flight, but rather interfering with its navigation system, causing the warhead to deviate from the planned trajectory and miss the target.
There are currently no official comments from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine or the developers of the relevant systems in the public domain, so the information remains at the level of reports from sources and analytical publications.
According to media reports, the scheme of operation looks like this: first, radar equipment records the launch and approach of the missile, after which electronic warfare units activate specialized electronic warfare systems.
The main idea is to purposefully influence the satellite navigation of the missile, in particular the signals of satellite positioning systems. Due to powerful interference or signal substitution, the missile receives false coordinates, loses accuracy and goes away from the intended target.
Some publications even describe a symbolic detail: instead of a “pure” navigation signal, the missile can “hear” an extraneous data stream – up to fragments of a well-known patriotic melody. In fact, this is an illustration of the principle of “cluttering” and substituting information received by the onboard electronics.
Experts emphasize that this is about the work of electronic warfare operators and specialized equipment, and not about a new type of interceptor missile. The Kinzhal missile continues to fly, but its “eyes and brain” are not working properly.
The fact that the Ukrainian army is actively increasing its electronic warfare capabilities against high-precision weapons has been reported before. The specialized materials note that some Russian missiles and aerial bombs are losing their accuracy precisely due to massive electronic jamming of navigation and communications.
The logic is simple: the faster a missile moves, the harder it is for it to accurately determine its coordinates, and in conditions of powerful obstacles, even “advanced” navigation begins to “go blind.” This is what the Ukrainian military uses, combining classic air defense systems (Patriot and others) with ground-based electronic warfare (EW) equipment that “knocks down” the missiles’ sights.
Previously, Ukraine had already demonstrated the ability to shoot down the "Daggers" with Patriot missiles - the first confirmed interception of such a missile over Kyiv took place back in May 2023.
Now, according to media reports, the arsenal has been expanded to include the ability to deprive the “Dagger” of accuracy during the flight phase, reducing the effectiveness of the strike without guaranteed direct damage.
The fact that Ukrainian electronic warfare systems are actively working with satellite navigation is also evidenced by previous official statements by the General Staff. Back in 2024, the military warned that during massive drone and missile attacks, GPS malfunctions on smartphones are possible, when phones suddenly “move” to Russian cities on the map or change the time zone. This is a direct consequence of GPS spoofing – the substitution of a navigation signal to confuse enemy devices.
If similar techniques have been adapted to work on Kinzhal missiles, this means that Ukrainian electronic warfare has reached a qualitatively new level of using navigational jamming.
If media reports are confirmed, we can talk about a serious tactical breakthrough in countering precision weapons. For Ukraine, this has several consequences:
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some of the strikes can be neutralized or “smeared” across the area, even without a guaranteed missile downing in the air;
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Russia will either have to complicate navigation systems or spend even more money on electronic warfare protection, which is already estimated at billions of dollars;
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The experience of Ukrainian electronic warfare developers and the military is becoming a reference case for NATO armies and other countries that are studying this “war of signals” as a model for future conflicts.
At the same time, experts warn: no technology provides 100% protection. Some missiles, in particular the Kinzhals, will still break through to their targets, especially if Russia adapts its control systems to the new conditions.
Therefore, EW is not considered a “magic button,” but an additional layer of defense alongside air defense, shelters, and the dispersal of critical infrastructure.
