The Russian military is trying to counter Ukrainian medium-range drone strikes by disguising military cargo as civilian shipments and deploying powerful systems to jam Starlink satellite internet, Ukrainian drone commanders and pilots told Reuters. Ukraine’s inexpensive drones, capable of precisely hitting targets dozens of kilometers behind the front line, have been striking Russian supply routes, fuel depots, air defense sites, and command posts, disrupting logistics and helping trigger fuel shortages in Russian-annexed Crimea.
Most of those missions are carried out using Starlink satellite internet, which allows pilots to control drones remotely. The service was long considered almost impossible to jam. However, Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, said Russia has begun deploying the Volna Kupol Garant system, which can destabilize Starlink connections over an area of about 20 square kilometers. About 10 such systems have been found so far. Volna Kupol Garant systems themselves have become priority targets: Ukraine’s 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment took part in strikes on two of them, and one was destroyed within hours of being detected in a joint operation with the SBU, Ukraine’s domestic security service.
