Ukrainian electronic warfare system sends Russian missiles - and Kyiv drivers - to Peru, NYT reports

The system, appropriately named Lima, uses GPS spoofing to feed false location data to navigation equipment. Its developers say the technology has diverted thousands of Russian drones and dozens of missiles, including two Oreshnik missiles launched toward the Kyiv region in May.

The New York Times reported on the system on November 11 after visiting its operators and experiencing the navigation disruptions firsthand.

How Lima works

Developed by Ukrainian defense company Cascade Systems in cooperation with a territorial defense unit known as Night Watch, Lima emits electromagnetic signals designed to interfere with the navigation systems of incoming Russian weapons.

Rather than simply blocking GPS reception, the system can trick GPS receivers into reporting an entirely different location.

Its operators initially experimented with spoofing coordinates corresponding to landmarks around the world, including London's Tower of London and Mount Everest.

Eventually, they settled on Lima, the Peruvian capital, as the false location used throughout the areas covered by the system.

The developers described the choice as a distinctive signature that would help identify their electronic warfare system's effects.

According to Cascade Systems, Lima diverted more than 30 cruise missiles and 10,000 drones during the first three months of 2026.

A Night Watch commander using the call sign Alchemist also claimed that 33 of 62 Russian Kinzhal ballistic missiles launched into areas covered by Lima Quant broke apart in midair, while others were diverted.

The New York Times said it could not independently verify those figures.

What happened to Russia's Oreshnik missiles?

Alchemist told the newspaper that Lima's most significant reported success came on May 24, when Russia launched two Oreshnik missiles toward the Kyiv region.

After receiving advance warning from US intelligence, a Night Watch operator activated Lima Quant to counter the incoming weapons, he said.

According to the commander, one missile struck garages in the Kyiv region, miles from any military target, while the other broke apart in flight and its debris fell in Russian-occupied territory.

Neither missile hit its intended target, he said.

The newspaper did not independently establish that Lima caused the missiles to miss.

Russia has promoted the Oreshnik as a weapon capable of evading Western air defenses.

An unexpected side effect: Kyiv becomes Peru

The same technology that disrupts Russian weapons also interferes with civilian navigation.

A ride-hailing app reportedly calculated that one Kyiv resident's journey home would take 12,276 minutes after routing the trip through South America and across the Atlantic Ocean.

A Ukrainian government official's Garmin watch recorded a 6.22-kilometer (3.9-mile) run in Lima completed in just 15 minutes and 38 seconds.

The New York Times journalists experienced the effect themselves when their vehicle's GPS placed them in Peru while they were traveling near Kyiv.

The disruptions have become so common that Ukrainians have coined a phrase for the experience: getting “Lima'd.”

One Night Watch member, using the call sign Chameleon, recalled a friend whose BMW reportedly stopped and demanded servicing after its navigation system concluded it had traveled roughly 10,000 kilometers from Lima without an oil change.

Despite the inconvenience to drivers and smartphone users, the system's operators say its defensive benefits outweigh the disruption, particularly as Ukraine faces shortages of Patriot air defense interceptors.