According to a major survey by New York Times, Russia would be directly involved in the repeated failures of the Starlink satellite network in Ukraine. A capability that could prove decisive in countering Ukrainian military communications.
Since the Russian invasion began in late February 2022, the Starlink satellite network deployed by SpaceX has proven crucial to Ukraine’s armed forces. The ground terminals provided by Elon Musk’s company make it possible to establish secure communications and coordinate military operations, while land infrastructure has been largely destroyed.
But according to recent revelations, Russia has managed to develop technical means to jam this network which has become essential to Ukraine. Repeated outages attributed to Moscow have already had a significant operational impact in recent weeks. A technological advance which could prove decisive if Russia manages to completely decommission Starlink in Ukraine.
Why Ukraine only has Starlink left to “ make war »
When the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian telecommunications infrastructure was quickly targeted and extensively damaged. As of mid-March 2022, more than a third of mobile base stations were out of service in conflict zones according to the regulator.
Faced with this critical situation which paralyzed military and civilian communications, the Ukrainian government requested help from Elon Musk. The billionaire quickly deployed his network of Starlink satellites, whose easily transportable antennas provide access to the internet via satellite link.
In a few weeks, thousands of terminals were transported to Ukraine and distributed on the ground to the armed forces, but also to civilian populations. Starlink has thus become an essential strategic tool for coordinating resistance, transporting reinforcements, or even disseminating information.
Despite occasional failures attributed to Russian cyberattacks, the network has shown itself to be generally efficient and resilient until recent months. From now on, Ukraine only has this satellite capacity to ensure its military communications, the land infrastructure having been destroyed during the fierce fighting.
How Russia manages to jam Starlink
According to information from New York Times corroborated by the Ukrainian Minister of Digital Affairs, Russia has now managed to develop sophisticated systems capable of jamming Starlink communications in combat zones.
Specialists speak of the use of high-power transmitters broadcasting radio waves jamming satellite signals. This equipment, probably mobile to move around according to operations, would make it possible to drown Starlink’s downlinks.
Other techniques are suspected, such as jamming the GPS signals needed by Starlink to accurately locate ground terminals. Or even cyberattacks aimed at saturating the network.
In any case, these means have already proven effective on several occasions recently. Before a Russian attack in May, the Ukrainian forces’ Starlink communications were cut for several hours, forcing them to coordinate their operations in a degraded manner by SMS.
For Ukraine, Moscow’s development of countermeasures represents a strategic blow. In the event of a total shutdown of the Starlink network, Ukrainian general staffs would be practically paralyzed in their real-time command and intelligence capabilities. A decisive advantage for Russia which would seek to regain the initiative on the ground.
224€
9
- High-speed Internet (almost) everywhere
- Ease of installation
- Excellent flow rates
Whatever we think of Elon Musk, his bet seems to have paid off. The thousands of French people who are not lucky enough to be able to connect to optical fiber or even ADSL now have the possibility of connecting to high-speed Internet.
Starlink offers an easy-to-install kit, an intuitive and complete application to guide the user during setup. The only constraint will be to provide a means of routing the cable between the exterior antenna and the interior of your home. You will also need to find a clear location to ensure optimal performance.
Certainly the cost of purchasing the kit (€450) is significant, but the rental offer at €50/month (equipment + package) opens the door to broadband for thousands of French people in white zones, for a cost close to the fiber optic offers. Performance is behind the best fibers, but is perfectly in line with all modern uses of the Internet.
Whatever we think of Elon Musk, his bet seems to have paid off. The thousands of French people who are not lucky enough to be able to connect to optical fiber or even ADSL now have the possibility of connecting to high-speed Internet.
Starlink offers an easy-to-install kit, an intuitive and complete application to guide the user during setup. The only constraint will be to provide a means of routing the cable between the exterior antenna and the interior of your home. You will also need to find a clear location to ensure optimal performance.
Certainly the cost of purchasing the kit (€450) is significant, but the rental offer at €50/month (equipment + package) opens the door to broadband for thousands of French people in white zones, for a cost close to the fiber optic offers. Performance is behind the best fibers, but is perfectly in line with all modern uses of the Internet.
Source : The New York Times (in English, paid access), BFMTV
Ex-corporate journalist, the world of the web, networks, connected machines and everything that is written on the Internet whets my appetite. From the latest TikTok trend to the most liked reels, I come from the Facebook generation that still fascinates the internal war between Mac and PC. As a wise woman, the Internet, its tools, practices and regulations are among my favorite hobbies (that, lineart, knitting and bad jokes). My motto: to try it is to adopt it, but in complete safety.
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