Russia has presented a new system called Volna Kupol Garant designed to block Starlink internet service from the ground without attacking the terminals used by customers, according to TechRadar.
The system would direct concentrated radio signals at SpaceX's Starlink satellites in orbit, saturating their receiving antennas and temporarily cutting service to users beneath the affected area. Unlike many conventional jammers, which target ground-based antennas, Volna Kupol Garant would aim at the satellites themselves.
A narrow beam aimed at satellites 500 km up
Dmitry Kuzyakin, general designer of the center responsible for the project, said the blockage would last only as long as the satellite kept receiving the signal. He said Volna does not physically destroy the spacecraft, but that during what he called "illumination," it blocks a specific satellite's ability to serve ground terminals.
To achieve this, the system would generate interference across eight transmission bands used by Starlink, each 62.5 MHz wide. The signal would come from a phased-array set of directional antennas capable of concentrating energy into a narrow beam and aiming it at satellites Kuzyakin said orbit at roughly 500 kilometers altitude.
The full setup uses six modules with twelve steerable antennas, each protected by radomes that let radio waves pass through. The modules can operate directly from trailers or be installed separately on the ground, an arrangement meant to cover an interference zone of up to 20 square kilometers.
That size also creates an obvious limitation: the deployment would be hard to hide while operating. The numerous antennas would need to remain exposed to aim their beams, potentially making the installation easier to locate through electronic intelligence. The larger the installation, the easier it would be to detect where the signal is coming from.
Electronic warfare moves from the ground to orbit
Starlink has served for years as an essential communications network for Ukraine, particularly where conventional infrastructure has been damaged. The Russian system would fit into the broader battle over the electromagnetic spectrum, in which cutting a signal can isolate military units and equipment without destroying them.
The conflict has already produced other attacks on satellite navigation signals. Ukraine has used jammers against Russian signals, including those guiding glide bombs via the GLONASS system, while Moscow has modified antennas and guidance systems to keep them working even against new battlefield interference.
The developers of Volna Kupol Garant say the system could also disrupt other space operations, though that capability has not been confirmed by independent sources. There is no indication the system has been used in Ukraine. For now, only the specifications released by its developers exist, with no external testing to measure its real range against Starlink.
