Kyiv: Ukraine develops advanced electronic warfare systems ahead of Western partners
In an interview with DW, Colonel Ivan Pavlenko, Head of the Main Directorate of Electronic Warfare (EW) and Cybersecurity at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, stated that Ukraine operates EW systems that Western partners only had in conceptual or developmental stages.
He emphasized the importance of situational awareness in modern warfare, saying Ukrainian defenders need to be aware of drone movements and to detect them. "One of the three components of EW—electronic support—handles these tasks, thanks to systems that can establish the location of drones and display them on a map. Such systems have been developed quite successfully in Ukraine. We already have two or three systems that are operational and providing our forces with information about electronic means and drones. Therefore, our partners are indeed learning from us in this respect," Pavlenko said.
The Colonel recalled that at the onset of the full-scale war, Ukraine's available resources were almost all Soviet-made. "Over these years, we have achieved a lot alongside our partners and volunteers. When we were developing some situational awareness systems, I turned to Ukrainians who are well-versed in IT technologies. They invested their own money and built them. Partners provided the necessary equipment for us. Such systems were merely on paper or in the developmental stage for our partners. In Ukraine, they are physically operational," he explained.