Ukraine Destroys Russia's 'Sapphire' EW System in Kursk Attack

Ukrainian forces are reported to have destroyed one of Russia's prized electronic warfare (EW) systems in Kursk, more than three weeks into the country's surprise incursion into the region.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces said its soldiers "hunted down" the Russian EW system in the region and destroyed it using attack drones. Russian troops were killed and wounded in the attack, a statement posted to Telegram said.

Russia had just upgraded its "Sapphire" EW systems—which are able to detect drones from a distance of 30 kilometers (18 miles)—in November 2023, according to Ukrainian media reports.

"The electronic warfare station was identified during reconnaissance of enemy-controlled territory," the Special Operations Forces statement said. It shared an aerial video that purportedly shows the moment the system was struck and set alight.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify when or where the footage was filmed, and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

Kyiv launched its lightning offensive on August 6 and was said to have quickly seized more territory in the Kursk region than Russia has captured in Ukraine since the beginning of 2024.

Ukraine's reported success in the region has forced Russia's military to deploy additional resources to Kursk, diverting manpower away from the war it started in across the border in February 2022. Putin has ordered his forces to push back Ukrainian troops from Kursk by October 1, according to RBC Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces say they have seized dozens of settlements in Kursk, including the regional center of Sudzha.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that the Kursk offensive is one aspect of his victory plan, which he hopes to present to President Joe Biden at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky says Ukrainian forces control more than 1,294 square kilometers [500 square miles] of territory and 100 settlements in the Kursk region.

Syrsky said one of the objectives of the offensive is to divert "significant" Russian manpower from front-line areas in Ukraine, including the eastern Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, which is a key logistical hub for Ukrainian forces in the area.

Russia is reported to be advancing in the Pokrovsk direction, despite the ongoing Kursk offensive.

Days into the incursion, Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that Kyiv's forces had captured Russia's tank-mounted "Volnorez" EW system along with documents that show how it operates. The system is used to protect military vehicles from drone attacks.

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