Russian drones with Starlink can reach NATO countries – media
Фото: з відкритих джерел
Russian strike drones equipped with the Starlink satellite communication system could pose a threat not only to Ukraine, but also to NATO countries.
This was reported by CNN, citing Ukrainian officials and military analysts.
According to them, Russia is installing Starlink terminals on strike drones, which significantly increases their flight range and allows them to bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare equipment. Such drones cannot be silenced by traditional methods that disable GPS and radio signals.
Military technology expert and advisor to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Serhiy Beskrestnov, known by the call sign “Flash”, said that they have already collected evidence of hundreds of Russian drone attacks using Starlink.
“The attacks are not on military targets, but on peaceful cities in the rear and on the front line, including residential buildings. In fact, this is terrorism using modern civilian communication technologies,” he stressed.
The article notes that Russia has previously attempted to circumvent Ukrainian electronic warfare capabilities by using fiber-optic-guided drones. Such drones cannot be silenced, but their range is limited by the length of the cable. However, using Starlink allows drones to be controlled at much greater distances.
In addition, satellite communication makes it possible to control drones in real time even from Russian territory, which increases the accuracy of strikes.
According to Beskrestnov, a drone with a Starlink terminal can cover a distance of up to 500 kilometers. He also suggested that the deadly strike on a civilian train in eastern Ukraine could have been carried out using a Shahed drone equipped with a radio modem or Starlink.
The article states that Russia has already used swarms of Starlink-equipped Molniya drones to attack energy facilities in the Chernihiv region. These drones are made of plywood, are cheap, and can fly tens of kilometers. According to expert estimates, every third such drone was able to hit its target thanks to satellite communication.
“They cannot be suppressed by electronic warfare. The only way is to physically shoot them down if anti-aircraft weapons can detect them,” Beskrestnov noted.
Ukraine’s newly appointed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that Ukraine must respond very quickly to Russia’s use of Starlink. According to him, the ministry is already in contact with SpaceX and is proposing mechanisms that could make it impossible for Russian troops to use this technology.
The publication also reminds that since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine has been heavily dependent on Starlink. The system is used by the military, government agencies, civilians, businesses, hospitals, and schools.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War stated that, given the declared range of 500 kilometers, the potential impact zone of such drones includes not only most of Ukraine, but also the territories of Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania.
Vladyslav Vlasyuk, the Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, noted that Russia’s active use of Starlink indicates insufficient sanctions pressure from international partners.
As previously reported, on January 15, the fact of Russian troops controlling a BM-35 attack drone via the Starlink system was recorded for the first time.
Recall that the Russian occupiers began equipping Shahed kamikaze drones with infrared searchlights to complicate the work of Ukrainian air defense at night.