Shaheds becoming harder targets: Ukraine’s Defence Ministry explains Russia’s upgrades

Russian long-range Shahed attack drones are being steadily upgraded and are becoming increasingly difficult targets for Ukraine’s air defences.

First Deputy Defence Minister Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk said in an interview with the BBC.

According to Havryliuk, Russia is constantly improving its technology to bypass electronic warfare systems.

"In 2023, when they first started using them, the drones had four-channel antennas and were relatively vulnerable to electronic warfare," he said.

Now, he added, the drones are equipped with 16-channel systems capable of changing the frequencies of incoming signals, allowing them to pass through areas of electronic jamming. Combined with the tactic of mass attacks, these upgraded drones achieve greater effect than before.

To counter these reinforced threats, Ukraine employs multi-layered defence lines. The integrated protection system includes surface-to-air missile systems, mobile fire groups, drone interceptors that hunt Russian UAVs in the air, electronic warfare equipment to jam control channels, and aviation, including F-16 fighter jets.