Military — 2026-11-14
Ukraine's Lima Electronic Warfare System Diverted Two Russian Oreshnik Missiles via GPS Spoofing in May
BLUFUnverified claims that a cheap GPS-spoofing system defeated Oreshnik missiles could reshape Kyiv's air-defense investment calculus, but the single-source reporting and absence of independent trajectory data make the operational significance impossible to assess.
The New York Times reported on November 11 that Ukraine's Lima electronic warfare system, built by
Analysis
Lima's role in the Oreshnik misses cannot be confirmed, and the claim rests on one Night Watch commander and the developer's own figures, which the Times could not verify. All four follow-on outlets rewrite that single report without primary documents. Confidence is low because there is one original report, no primary documentation, and no independent confirmation of trajectories or debris. The claim still matters for Kyiv's planning, since a cheap spoofing layer that works against ballistic missiles would shift spending away from Patriot rounds. Cascade's earlier claim of 58 of 59 Kinzhal diversions now reads as 33 of 62, which undercuts the developer's figures. The misses may instead reflect guidance faults, a degraded inertial package or a deliberate Russian test profile, with Lima credited afterward by parties who benefit from the claim. Chinese anti-jamming antennas on Russian missiles could narrow any advantage.
Lima's role in the Oreshnik misses cannot be confirmed, and the claim rests on one Night Watch commander and the developer's own figures, which the Times could not verify. All four follow-on outlets rewrite that single report without primary documents. Confidence is low because there is one original report, no primary documentation, and no independent confirmation of trajectories or debris. The claim still matters for Kyiv's planning, since a cheap spoofing layer that works against ballistic missiles would shift spending away from Patriot rounds. Cascade's earlier claim of 58 of 59 Kinzhal diversions now reads as 33 of 62, which undercuts the developer's figures. The misses may instead reflect guidance faults, a degraded inertial package or a deliberate Russian test profile, with Lima credited afterward by parties who benefit from the claim. Chinese anti-jamming antennas on Russian missiles could narrow any advantage.
5 sources
- Ukraine’s Lima system helped divert two Russian Oreshnik missiles in May — NYT -
New Voice of Ukraine - Ukraine's Lima GPS spoofing system diverts Russian missiles, NYT reports -
Hromadske - Ukrainian Electronic Warfare System Reportedly Diverts Two Russian Oreshnik Missiles Near Kyiv -
The Defense News - Ukraine’s Lima System Diverted 2 Russian Oreshnik Missiles -
Kyiv Post - This Defense Makes Drones and GPS Think They Are in Peru -
New York Times