Russian troops are deploying more electronic warfare systems to interfere with Starlink satellite communications in Crimea and along the front line, according to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's president and an expert in radio technology. He described both an expansion in their deployment and changes in the way Russian forces arrange and conceal the equipment.
Beskrestnov said each system provides electronic warfare coverage for an individual site across an area of approximately 25 square kilometres. According to his account, Russian forces have deployed the systems to protect almost all key facilities in Crimea. Their use along the front line is also becoming more widespread.
The equipment previously took the form of six trailers positioned beside one another at a single location, Beskrestnov said. Russian troops are now attempting to make the systems less visible by distributing their components over a larger area. The systems are built around prime-focus satellite dish antennas measuring approximately one metre in diameter.
Despite those efforts, the antennas have a requirement that restricts where they can be hidden. "Regardless of the camouflage used, the systems must have an unobstructed view towards the zenith, which limits the options for concealing them," Beskrestnov said. That need for a clear view overhead remains a constraint on concealment.
Beskrestnov outlined several ways Russian forces could disguise the equipment, including placing it among lorries or using small car trailers. He said the systems could function beneath canopies made from polycarbonate or plastic film. Opaque greenhouses were another possible location he identified for hiding the equipment.
He considered camouflage nets less likely to be used in rear areas because they draw attention. Nor does the equipment have to be positioned close to an electrical substation: generators can supply its power, he said. Beskrestnov put the systems' operating frequency range at 14 to 14.5 GHz.
The account follows Beskrestnov's report in September that Russian companies were buying components to manufacture another 300 to 400 electronic warfare systems intended to jam Starlink communications.
At the end of August, Russia reportedly began mass production of the Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system. Russian forces use that system to jam the Starlink satellite communications network.
