Thread by @Textyorgua_Eng

In April, TEXTY discovered traces of Russian military radars in the east of Ukraine. Since then their number has increased.

Today we publish an updated map showing some of the identified radar systems which are likely being deployed in warfare. #ddj 1/15

texty.org.ua/articles/10736…

But first thing first, why radars?

Radars are the "ears" and "eyes" of the military.

They can perform a variety of tasks: from detecting enemy objects to identifying their type, parameters, directions of movement, etc.

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Radio-electronic warfare tools can either "jam" the signals from foreign satellite stations or redirect these signals so the enemy gets misled.

That's why military radars are always a priority target for destruction.

3/15

Is it possible to see radars without using special equipment or being in close proximity to them?

A few years ago, Israeli expert @HarelDan noticed that some military radars could be detected using data obtained from @esa's Sentinel-1 satellite.

4/15
medium.com/@HarelDan/x-ma…

Dan's "discovery" became the foundation for many tools that independent researchers use to monitor military radars around the world.

TEXTY also used this method when searching for Russian air defence radars in the occupied territories and along the borders of Ukraine.

5/15

Our first results in mid-April identified only a few radar traces.

To see how the situation has changed in the past 3 months, we used Bellingcat's Radar Interference Tracker & 5Ghz Interference Tracker “scanning” the period between May and July.

6/15

texty.org.ua/articles/10638…

In terms of the likely locations of Russian radars, we grouped them in three clusters:

1️⃣ Russian border & Russia-occupied Luhansk, Donetsk & Zaporizhzhia regions
2️⃣ The Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, Odesa’s coast & Transnistria
3️⃣ Belarus & Ukraine’s northern border

7/15

Several radars were “traced” back in June around Voronezh & Stary Oskol in Belgorod region, Russia.

Interestingly, a detailed description of the air defense system around Belgorod has recently appeared in the media, which likely confirms our info.

8/15

eadaily.com/ru/news/2022/0…

The colour of the radar signals differs because they were recorded by two different satellite systems.

The lines in blue show radars near Voronezh & Belgorod. The lines in red are on Ukraine’s border around Luhansk, specifically near Russian military airfield in Millerovo.

9/15

Radar "traces" were also detected in the occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia region.

Russian propaganda reports air defense systems “regularly shoot down Ukrainian missiles” in that area.

Another “trace” appears between Donetsk & Rostov, also likely covering Mariupol area.

10/15

The signals can be "seen" both on land and sea in Rostov, Kransodar & Yeysk.

This is where Russian air defense units are likely based, including one of the air defense training centres as well as the 77th anti-aircraft missile brigade equipped with S-300 systems.

11/15

In South direction radar signals have been recorded along the coastline in Odesa region and in the waters of the Black & Azov seas.

Since Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is equipped with the air defense systems, it is highly likely that these signals are emitted by their radars.

12/15

Clear signals are also broadcast by radars near Tiraspol in Transnistria.

Although the official sources say the air defense of the unrecognized republic is using Soviet “Yenisei” radar stations, the real state of play in Russian military contingent there is unknown.

13/15

Recent increased presence of radars in north Ukraine and on the territory of Belarus can be equally explained by military trainings and relocation of Russian air defense units to Belarus (specifically, Ziabrovka airfield from where rockets were recently launched at Kyiv)

14/15

We continue to monitor changes in the likely locations of Russian radars traced by Sentinel satellites.

We are also open to expert feedback on data search & interpretation.

See our earlier work monitoring Russian military equipment in Ukraine here texty.org.ua/projects/10546…

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