Ukraine has found a way to counter Russian ballistic missiles without the Patriot system

The Ukrainian military has found a way to counter Russian ballistic missiles using electronic warfare capabilities. Specifically, the Lima system is capable of interfering with the navigation signals of enemy missiles and forcing them to deviate from their intended course.

In early 2026, two Russian ballistic missiles were heading toward a key government facility in Kyiv. However, they never reached their target—the missiles crashed into the Dnipro River after the Ukrainian military deployed the Lima system and jammed their radio signals.

A Ukrainian electronic warfare unit called “Night Watch” was involved in the operation. Its commander, whose call sign is “Alchemist,” told reporters that Lima is capable of transmitting signals over a distance of nearly 200 kilometers.

According to him, the system can interfere not only with missiles but also with drones and guided bombs.

Lima operates on a principle different from that of traditional interceptor missiles. The system attempts to disrupt the navigation or guidance of enemy weapons, forcing them to change course.

Another instance of the system’s use occurred in November 2025. At that time, the “Night Watch” unit managed to intercept a Russian “Kinzhal” hypersonic missile using Lima.

The Ukrainian military stated that the system transmitted a false navigation signal to the missile. As a result, the “Kinzhal” changed its flight path and, according to the Ukrainian military, disintegrated under the strain caused by its own speed.

Thus, rather than physically destroying the target, the electronic warfare system was able to disrupt its navigation and force the missile to deviate from its course.

At the same time, Lima’s effectiveness depends on the type of aerial target and the level of its protection against electronic warfare.

Russian missiles and drones are constantly improving their navigation systems in an effort to counter Ukrainian electronic warfare capabilities.

In particular, in late 2024, the Ukrainian military detected Chinese antennas with steerable radiation patterns in Russian weapons. Such antennas can determine the direction of jamming signals and help enemy weapons bypass electronic countermeasures.

In response, “Night Watch,” in collaboration with the manufacturer Lima, developed an updated system, Lima Quant, designed to counter such technologies.

The Russians, in turn, have increased the number of antennas in their systems. This forces Ukrainian developers to constantly adapt Lima to new methods of protection employed by Russian weapons.

Western and Ukrainian air defense experts believe that systems like Lima can thwart ballistic missile attacks.

At the same time, electronic warfare is not a full-fledged replacement for Patriot systems. Kinetic interceptors remain a crucial element of defense against ballistic missiles.

However, the use of electronic warfare capabilities can be a significantly cheaper way to counter individual air targets if the system is capable of disrupting their navigation or guidance.

The development of Lima and Lima Quant demonstrates that Ukraine is seeking additional ways to defend against Russian ballistic missiles by combining kinetic air defense systems with electronic warfare technologies.

This is reported by The Wall Street Journal.

As a reminder, Japan plans to resume discussions on the possibility of providing or selling weapons to Ukraine, specifically interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

During their meeting on September 28, the defense ministers of European Union member states did not make any new commitments regarding the supply of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine. This was reported by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.