Secret Russian Counter-Drone EW System Recovered by Ukraine in Kursk Region

An editor from the Censor.net news site posted a video on his Facebook channel on Aug. 14 showing the secret Russian Volnorez (Breakwater) counter-drone electronic warfare (EW) system recovered by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region along with its technical documentation being unpacked.

Volnorez was first shown to the public at Russia’s Army Expo in 2023 and was seen on social media in mid-September mounted on Russian T-80BVM main battle tanks also fitted with anti-drone “cope” cages operating in Ukraine. This was a significant step forward for Moscow at the time – part of an attempt to protect its armored vehicles from the increasing threat from Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones.

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. Moscow’s troops consider it be an essential tool in its war with Ukraine.

It is lightweight, weighing only 13 kilograms (29 pounds), operates across a broad range of frequencies with a 30-watt power output, and is said to operate within a temperature range of -40 to +60°C. It is said to be installed in less than 10 minutes and is mounted using a magnetic base without the need for any structural changes to be made to the vehicle.

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Ukraine’s recovery of a complete Volnorez system, complete with technical documentation, could have implications beyond Kyiv’s current operations in the Kursk region. It potentially represents a game-changing breach of security on Moscow’s part that could alter the military technological balance in Ukraine’s favor.

However, 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.

Kovalenko said that the manufacturer of the system recommends installing four Volnorez systems on each armored vehicle if it is to be fully effective, which he ridicules saying: “… if every tank, every personnel carrier, and every infantry fighting vehicle was guarded by four Volnorez devices, the Russians would not have the time or resources to produce all of those it needs.”

Even if Kovalenko is right, Ukraine now has access to valuable intelligence. This potentially enables its technical staff to determine the approach taken by Russia to combat drones and respond with measures allowing its own drones to circumvent Russian countermeasures. Ukraine could even modify its own technology to combat the Kremlin’s FPV and surveillance drones to aid defense.

The Volnorez may not work fully as advertised, but, if nothing else, its loss in Kursk is a coup for Kyiv and yet another embarrassment for Russia’s Ministry of Defense to add to those of the last 10 days.