WSJ: Ukraine uses electronic warfare to deflect Russian ballistic missiles from targets

Altering the trajectory of enemy projectiles

Ukrainian military personnel are employing electronic warfare (EW) assets to deflect Russian ballistic missiles from planned targets. This method allows for avoiding the use of expensive air defence systems, specifically Patriot, to intercept every threat. The American publication The Wall Street Journal reports on this.

Incident involving two missiles over Kyiv

According to WSJ materials, in early 2026, two Russian ballistic missiles were heading towards a key government facility in the capital. However, instead of striking the target point, they fell into the Dnipro River. Representatives of the Ukrainian unit Night Watch state that they managed to alter the trajectory of the projectiles thanks to the Lima EW system. This installation generates false navigation signals that operate at a range of up to 120 miles.

Deflection of a Kinzhal missile

As noted by Night Watch, in November 2025, a similar technology was successfully applied to deflect a Russian Kinzhal-class missile. The Wall Street Journal adds that experts from both the West and Ukraine have confirmed the ability of such systems to influence navigation.

Enemy adaptation and Kyiv's response

Russia is attempting to adapt to the new tactics. In particular, antennas of Chinese manufacture are being installed on missiles and drones, which are capable of detecting the source of radio jamming. In response, Ukraine has developed an updated version of the system — Lima Quant.

Economic advantage of EW

It is worth noting that electronic warfare complexes cannot completely replace Patriot surface-to-air missile systems. However, as WSJ assesses, their main advantage lies in significantly lower cost and the ability to deploy them in much greater numbers.