Remember when Ukrainian forces destroyed an advanced Russian weapon?

On July 7th, 2024, Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence revealed an operation led by the intel agency destroyed one of Vladimir Putin's most advanced electronic warfare and communication jamming stations.

DIU revealed on Telegram that its operators destroyed the R-330Zh Zhitel electronic warfare system after it was found hiding in the Donetsk region,  and the intelligence agency provided pictures of drone footage from the operation edited to help its audience understand what happened.   

Photo Credit: Telegram @DIUkraine

Operators from the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine's Active Operations Department and an aerial reconnaissance unit from the 45th Artillery Brigade found the Russian system. 

After the R-330Zh Zhitel was discovered and successfully identified, it was targeted and then eliminated by Ukrainian forces. The Russian system was attacked in the village of Novoluhanske in Donetsk. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @DIUkraine

The strike occurred on July 6th and the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine report revealed that its operators also hit a logistics center containing ammunition and tank equipment. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @DIUkraine

Electronic warfare has become an increasingly important aspect of the conflict unfolding in Ukraine, so the loss of an R-330Zh Zhitel system is a major victory for the Ukrainians. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @DIUkraine

According to Army Recognition, the R-330ZH Zhitel is a jamming communication station that was designed to detect, analyze, and find the positions of a wide variety of signals. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons  By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

The R-330ZH Zhitel can also jam cellular and satellite communications from frequencies ranging between 100 to 2,000 megahertz (MHz), which makes it a very useful weapon. 

The Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi previously reported in May that the Ukrainian Armed Forces discovered and destroyed another R-330ZH Zhitel in the Donetsk region. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @savelifeua

An American-supplied High Mobility Rocket Artillery System (Himars) was used to strike and destroy the R-330ZH Zhitel system with help from a drone that oversaw the attack. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @savelifeua

The drone used in the attack was a Ukrainian-made Shark unmanned aerial vehicle that Militarnyi reported was supplied to defense forces by the Come Back Alive Foundation. 

The Shark drone initially spotted the R-330ZH Zhitel hiding among a group of trees and also helped to adjust the fire of the rocket artillery operators, according to Militarnyi. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @savelifeua

Ukrainian special forces from the country’s 3rd Separate Assault Brigade also destroyed an R-330ZH Zhitel system in April and reported details about the operation on Telegram.

Photo Credit: Telegram  @ukr_sof

"During reconnaissance operations on the Zaporizhzhia front, operators of the 3rd Separate Regiment of Special Operations Forces detected a R-330Zh Zhitel electronic warfare system,” the report read according to Ukrainska Pravda. 

“Operators adjusted the fire on the enemy target from a Rocket Forces and Artillery unit of the Defence Forces. A R-330Zh Zhitel jamming system was destroyed as a result of coordinated efforts." the report added.

Video footage published along with the report revealed the destruction of the R-330Zh Zhitel system, revealing the destructive power of a properly zeroed-in rocket artillery strike. 

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.

As of December 4th, 2024, the Dutch open-source intelligence group Oryx reported Russia has lost 21 R-330ZH Zhitels since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine. The number quoted is based on verifiable photo and video evidence examined by the intel group.