Russia just lost another irreplaceable counter-battery system in Ukraine

Russia recently lost another advanced counter-battery radar system in Ukraine according to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, a loss British Intelligence believes will be increasingly impossible for Russian forces to replace. 

On March 23rd, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces released a video showing the destruction of a Russian Zoopark-1M counter-battery system somewhere in Donetsk. 

Photo by Twitter @SalmelaJS

While it may not seem like a big win for Ukrainian forces, the destruction of a single Russian counter-battery radar system can have important and long-lasting consequences for Russia’s combat effectiveness.  

“Efforts by both sides to neutralize their opponent’s counter-battery radars have been a constant element of the conflict,” the Ministry of Defence update read.

“These systems are relatively few in number but are a significant force multiplier,” the update continued. “They allow commanders to rapidly locate and strike enemy artillery.”

The war in Ukraine has become one marked by fierce artillery duels. The frontlines have been static for months and the conflict has transitioned into an attritional struggle rather than the complicated maneuver warfare that was present before winter set in. 

In order for either side to win this struggle, they need to find a way to knock out the opposing side's artillery systems while keeping their own weapons safe. That’s why systems like Russia’s Zoopark-1M are so important on the battlefield. 

Photo by Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89048086

“In a grinding war that has featured heavy exchanges of artillery, systems like [the Zoopark-1M] are critical to have in the arsenal,” Business Insider’s Jake Epstein wrote.

Photo by Allocer - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5696517

Unfortunately for Russia, it has lost far too many of its important counter-battery radar systems since the war began and Britain’s Ministry of Defence doesn’t believe Putin will be capable of replacing the weapons that have been destroyed by Ukraine. 

“Regenerating counter-battery radar fleets is likely a key priority for both sides, but Russia will likely struggle because the systems rely on supplies of high-tech electronics which have been disrupted by sanctions,” the Ministry of Defence wrote in their update. 

Russian forces have lost at least two older 1L219 Zoopark counter battery complexes since the war began as well as seven 1L261  Zoopark-1 systems according to Oryx, an open-source intelligence project counting Russia’s war losses. 

While analysts don’t know the exact number of counter-radar systems Russia’s Armed Forces had before their invasion began, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said they likely only have a “limited number left in Ukraine.”

Counter-battery systems have proved to be a tantalizing target for Ukrainian Special Forces, and Britain’s Ministry of Defence noted that their “active electromagnetic signature” makes them “vulnerable to being detected and destroyed. 

Photo by Wiki Commons

According to Business Insider, Russia’s counter-battery system works by first detecting incoming artillery shells and then tracking their trajectory in order to determine their origin.

Once a counter-battery knows where a shell came from it can order to return fire directly onto the opposing artillery battery’s position, making it a deadly component on any modern battlefield. 

According to Newsweek, the Zoopark-1M was first introduced in 2016 and has the ability to “track artillery shells and ballistic missiles at longer ranges than its predecessor,” making it a good get for Ukraine’s Special Forces.