Throughout July and August, Russian forces stepped up
strikes on radio and mobile communications towers, particularly in Chernihiv Oblast,
an informed source at Ukraine’s General Staff told NV on Sept. 12.
The source said Russian troops know that electronic warfare, communications, and reconnaissance systems are often mounted on cell towers. Sometimes this specialized equipment is installed on movable, deployable towers, but doing so is costly and complicated.
“You cannot knock out mobile communications entirely, but you can significantly slow data transmission,” the source said.
“That’s a serious threat. And yes, unfortunately, they are destroying our towers.”
He added that Ukrainian forces have targeted similar Russian installations. Earlier, the General Staff said it saw merit in shutting off mobile internet during air raid alerts, warning that enemy drones are increasingly reliant on the Ukrainian cell network for data telemetry.