Russia has begun deploying special systems to jam the Starlink satellite link - the main means of controlling Ukrainian drones. Moscow is using the occupied Ukrainian territories for this, reports "Reuters", citing commanders and fighters from a regiment operating in the southern Zaporizhia region. The military notes that some Russian systems are capable of "disrupting the Starlink network", used for most Ukrainian attacks with medium-range drones.
How electronic warfare can interfere with Starlink
Cases of using electronic warfare to jam the Starlink signal were recorded as early as 2024. But the Russians began to use this method en masse only a few months ago, Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, told DW.
"The Russians began to use a system to jam the Starlink signal when we started attacking at a depth of 100-150 km in the occupied territories. This became a problem for them, which is why they sought to counter it. The system they use looks like this: five or six containers on wheels that have satellite antennas. The Russians are trying to camouflage them because the structures are quite large," Beskrestnov explains.
According to him, the effectiveness of this Russian system is limited. "One such point covers about 20 square kilometers. That is, this is not a solution for protecting highways, because it would be very expensive and difficult to do. They use the system to protect, for example, a substation or a warehouse." Beskrestnov also says that the use of these systems is widespread, but not a mass phenomenon. Since the cost of one such complex is about one million dollars. "There are not just one or two complexes, but there are not hundreds."
"A means of self-reassurance for the Russians"
The Ukrainian military, which launches medium-range strikes every day, does not yet believe that the Russian innovation will have a decisive effect. Ukraine continues to successfully hit its targets. "Sometimes there are failures in the work of Starlink, but they are not related to jamming by the Russians. Therefore, the whole story looks more like a means of self-soothing for the Russians than a truly effective countermeasure", a serviceman from the Ukrainian drone control forces explained to DW.
Another serviceman, who is fighting in the Donetsk region, said that he had encountered such cases in his work. "Yes, they jam the signal. But there is no reliable information, because the Russians do not report where they are jamming. We feel it as a deterioration in the connection, but the phenomenon is not massive." According to the military, the Ukrainian army has not lost any drones as a result of these jammings.
The Russians use these complexes in the territories occupied by Ukraine, Starlink does not work on the territory of Russia. Using satellite antennas installed in the huge structure, they track the route of the Starlink satellite and send powerful signals to it to jam it. The Ukrainian military can detect these points because they have a broadcast. They also receive help in this regard from NATO partners. "Thanks to them, we find the complexes and attack them physically", explains Beskrestnov.
Ukrainian countermeasures must be comprehensive
What should be the Ukrainian response to the new threat? Drone expert Dmitry Sledyuk is convinced that the countermeasures must be comprehensive. He names, for example, among the elements of a possible Ukrainian response the establishment of additional duplicate communication channels for drones. And if the device falls into an area where the jamming system is active, it switches to an alternative channel.
Other options include optimizing flight routes, using networks through which several drones relay signals to each other. Or autonomous flight using alternative navigation systems - for example, based on an image of the terrain.
Sledyuk also notes the following: "In war, the advantage rarely remains permanent - because it is difficult to keep military technology secret. This applies to both us and them". Therefore, after a while this may not be an advantage for the Russians, but only a factor that complicates the implementation of Ukrainian tasks. "We are doing everything possible to balance the situation."
Authors: Liliya Rzheutskaya | Hana Sokolova