Lead
Ukrainian forces are actively destroying Russian electronic warfare systems designed to jam Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet, as Moscow intensifies efforts to counter Kyiv's mid-strike drone campaign. The drones—which can hit targets dozens of kilometers behind front lines accurately and cheaply—are often flown via Starlink, making the satellite service both a linchpin of Ukraine's strategy and a prime target for Russian electronic warfare.
Coverage comparison
Reports from France 24 and The Hindu provide detailed accounts of Ukrainian operations against Russian jamming systems. France 24 highlights the destruction of a Russian 'Volna Kupol Garant' jamming system, as captured in aerial drone footage shared in mid-June by Ukrainian electronic warfare expert Serhii Beskrestnov. The Hindu offers a broader analysis of Starlink's role in Ukraine's war effort, tracing how the service has become deeply embedded in drone operations, battlefield communications, and command networks since its activation in February 2022.
The South China Morning Post focuses on Russia's countermeasures, emphasizing the use of jamming systems to disrupt Starlink as a response to Ukraine's mid-strike drone attacks. Both the South China Morning Post and The Hindu attribute the information to Ukrainian drone commanders and pilots who spoke to a Reuters crew visiting Ukraine's 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Key claims
- Russian forces are trying to counter Ukrainian 'mid-strike' drone attacks by camouflaging cargoes and installing powerful jamming systems to disrupt Starlink satellite internet, according to Ukrainian drone commanders and pilots.
- Ukraine's development of 'mid-strike' drones, which can hit targets dozens of kilometers behind front lines accurately and cheaply, has transformed the war in Ukraine, according to reports from the South China Morning Post and The Hindu.
- Russia is using jamming devices, including the 'Volna Kupol Garant' system, to disrupt Starlink connections used by Ukrainian drones. Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukraine's Defence Ministry, said the system emits a signal strong enough to destabilize the Starlink connection in an area of about 20 square kilometers, and that about 10 have been detected so far.
- Starlink has become a crucial component of Ukraine's war effort, providing a reliable and easy-to-use communication channel for drone operations, battlefield communications, and command networks, as reported by France 24 and The Hindu.
- Ukraine has attacked supply lines, fuel storage facilities, air-defense installations, and command centers, disrupting Russian forces' logistics and causing fuel shortages in Russian-occupied Crimea, according to reports from the South China Morning Post and The Hindu.
- Russian forces are hiding shipments in civilian vehicles and using camouflaged dugouts, abandoned buildings, and agricultural structures to conceal supplies, and civilian petrol stations to store fuel for the military, as reported by The Hindu.
- Russia has been trying to disrupt Starlink connections since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with reports of jamming attempts and the development of electronic warfare systems, according to The Hindu.
Perspectives
Ukrainian military perspective: Ukrainian drone commanders and pilots view the mid-strike drone campaign as a transformative capability, allowing accurate and cheap strikes on targets deep behind front lines. They see Starlink as a vital enabler and Russia's jamming efforts as a threat that must be countered, making jamming systems themselves priority targets.
Russian countermeasures: Russia is developing multiple methods to counter Ukraine's mid-range strikes, including hiding military supplies in civilian vehicles and installing sophisticated electronic jamming devices. These measures are described as a direct response to the effectiveness of Ukraine's drone campaign, which has disrupted logistics and caused fuel shortages in occupied Crimea.