Since the start of the Ukraine war, Russian forces have been hit hard and lost or abandoned many weapons on Ukrainian soil.

These weapons included tanks, ammunition, and even Russian drones, but perhaps the biggest prize to date for Ukrainian forces and the West is part of Russia's "Krasukha-4" electronic warfare system.

The "Krosuka-4" system consists of two parts, the electronic warfare system and the command center unit, which are installed separately on two trucks.

The system, in place for more than a decade, was built by Concern Radio-Electronic Technologies (KRET), owned by the Russian state group Rostec, which makes specialized military products.

#Ukraine: We managed to identify this bizarre "container", captured today by the UA forces near #Kyiv.

It is likely to be the command post of one of the most potent Russian EW system – 1RL257 Krasukha-4, used to suppress AWACS radars & radar reconnaissance satellites.

pic.twitter.com/1VvKjGoM2p

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 22, 2022

The operational range of the "Krosuka-4" is about 300 km and is designed to target radio-electronic systems of airborne systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as missile systems.

The system can also counter the airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) used by Ukraine's US-led allies on their drones as well as spy satellites.

In addition, the portable system can be deployed to jam large ground radars and protect Russian forces from surveillance systems.

Deployment near Kyiv

Strategically, placing the system close to the capital's system in Kyiv makes sense because the protection provided would help preserve the sudden Russian advance.

It could also be placed to prevent surveillance by NATO forces, even when they have stopped flying over Ukrainian airspace.

Earlier this month, the US Air Force published how it carried out stealth sorties using F-35s based in Europe.

Systems like Krosuka are the perfect countermeasure if forces don't know what and when are flying towards you.

What seems unclear is why the Russian forces abandoned the regime.

According to U.S. defense officials, Russia has not stepped up the electronic warfare game in the recent conflict, and while it may plan to do so in the future, abandoning its system provides a glimpse into its capabilities as well as previously unknown shortcomings.