In June 2026, Russia deployed the ‘Volna-Kupol-Garant’ electronic warfare system to counter Starlink satellites, which have been critical in guiding Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian infrastructure. This system consists of several trailers carrying satellite dishes under a radio-transparent cover. Each trailer is said to accommodate two dishes, which can also be ground-mounted.
The system protects up to 20 square kilometres of territory and interferes with enemy drones, according to local media reports. Starlink satellites, used for deep strikes inside Russian territory by the Western-supplied drones to Ukraine, suffered ‘irreversible damage’ due to jamming by the new system.
“The Starlink satellite receives signals from terminals in the 14-14.5 gigahertz range. This range is divided into eight channels. The Russian Ministry of Defence took eight satellite dishes, pointed them at the satellite, and each dish transmitted the obstruction on its own channel. That’s it… the satellite went deaf,” says a Ukrainian expert
“The first and most important [conclusion] is that, ultimately, the electronic components of spacecraft whose orbital trajectories pass through the active jamming zone will suffer irreversible damage one way or another,” says a publication.
Another conclusion is that the effective coverage area of the Volna-Kupol-Garant complex is increasing, which means that in the future we can talk about creating a radio-electronic ‘dome’ in certain areas of the front.
The system creates powerful directional jamming on a specific Starlink satellite, disrupting communications between the satellite and ground terminals.
“Technically, the Starlink satellite receives signals from terminals in the 14-14.5 gigahertz range. This range is divided into eight channels, each in a 62.5-megahertz band. The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) took eight satellite dishes, pointed them at the satellite, and each dish transmitted the obstruction on its own channel. And that’s it… the satellite went deaf,” conceded a Ukrainian expert on his Telegram channel.
The Telegram channel ‘Military Informant’ says that if a working method for jamming Starlink has indeed been found, the proliferation of such systems could seriously impact the effectiveness of Ukrainian medium-range strikes as early as 2026, which are directly dependent on American satellite internet
According to the Telegram channel ‘Military Informant’, if a working method for jamming Starlink has indeed been found, the proliferation of such systems could seriously impact the effectiveness of Ukrainian medium-range strikes as early as 2026, which are directly dependent on American satellite internet.
Media reports suggest that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already begun a targeted hunt for the new electronic warfare systems, as they have significantly disrupted Ukraine’s plans. And experts call for adequate protection of these technical assets because of their large size and deployment area.
–The writer is a Moscow-based independent defence analyst. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
