Russia launches serial production of systems to jam Starlink: Ukrainian Armed Forces have already destroyed several

The Russian complex "Volna Kupol Garant" can locally disrupt satellite communications. Ukrainian military confirm the system's effect and deliberately destroy such installations.

Russia has started serial production of the "Volna Kupol Garant" electronic warfare complexes, developed specifically to counter the Starlink satellite network, a source in the defense industry told the Russian agency TASS.

The Russian side claims that after testing and several modifications, the complex has moved from production of individual units to larger-scale output and deployment.

Unlike conventional electronic warfare means, "Volna Kupol Garant" does not attempt to suppress the Starlink terminal on the ground directly. A powerful directional radio signal is transmitted towards a passing satellite and creates interference for receiving weaker signals from ground terminals.

The complex operates in the 14-14.5 GHz band, used for data transmission from the terminal to the satellite. According to Ukrainian and Russian sources, one installation can disrupt communications over an area of about 20 square kilometers.

The Russian source TASS made significantly more far-reaching claims: supposedly several complexes can disable Starlink in a whole region, and the simultaneous operation of dozens of installations can cause a serious disruption of the entire system. Independent confirmation of such capabilities is not yet available.

However, data from the Ukrainian side and evidence from the front show that on a local scale the system indeed poses a problem.

The Spanish newspaper El Mundo visited fighters of the 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which, among other things, specializes in finding and destroying "Volna Kupol Garant". One of the commanders told journalists that during an operation on June 15, Ukrainian drones destroyed four of the six elements of the detected complex, and two more subsequently burned down.

According to the soldier, immediately after the destruction of the installation, Starlink's work in that area returned to normal — before the strike communications had suffered interference.

The commander of the 422nd Regiment, Mykola Kolesnik, told El Mundo that since June his unit has destroyed three such complexes and participated in the destruction of another in occupied Crimea.

Another episode confirmed by open-source data occurred in early August in the area of Russian Gelendzhik. OSINT analysts discovered a "Volna Kupol Garant" on the territory of military unit No. 2156, and subsequent satellite images showed the destruction of the complex. At the time, analysts called this the third such case of destruction of the system recorded in open sources.

At the same time, the size and principle of operation of the complex create a serious problem for Russia. "Volna Kupol Garant" consists of several trailers with large directional antennas, occupies a significant area, and, to operate, must actively emit a powerful radio signal. Therefore, it is much harder to conceal than ordinary mobile electronic warfare means.

The cost of one complex is estimated at approximately 150 million rubles, or about $1.5 million.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes another limitation: with a coverage area of about 20 square kilometers, Russia would need a large number of expensive installations if it wants to use them to protect numerous objects deep within its territory. Moreover, the relatively stationary nature of the complex makes it less suitable for protecting mobile targets.

According to ISW's assessment, Moscow's claims about the ability of several or dozens of installations to paralyze Starlink may be part of an information campaign. Russia is trying to present the system as a technological breakthrough and simultaneously convince the United States of the futility of expanding possibilities for Ukraine's use of Starlink.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian specialists do not deny the problem itself. Co-founder of the Aerorozvidka Support Center Ihor Lutsenko told El Mundo that Russian jamming means are not yet able to completely block Starlink, but they are gradually reducing its effectiveness.

Thus, for now it is not a Russian "Starlink off switch." But the emergence of a working means of local suppression of satellite communications and the transition to its serial production create a new technological race: Russia is trying to increase the number of such complexes, while Ukrainian units are to detect and destroy them faster than they can affect the operation of communications and drones.