War in Ukraine
Starlink mess – Putin continues to cut off Ukrainian satellite communications
Ukrainian drone pilots rely on the Starlink system.
© Evgeniy Maloletka / AP
Starlink handles communications and data traffic for the Ukrainian defenders. Now there is increasing evidence that the Russians can permanently and systematically disrupt the satellite network.
For several months now, the Russians have been disrupting the Starlink connections of the Ukrainian armed forces. At first, in a very simple way. The Russians were able to get their own terminals on the grey market, then brought them close to the front, and at critical moments they started up the devices and triggered a heavy data traffic. The sudden increase paralyzed the network and made it unusable for the Ukrainians.
Starlink disruptions are increasing
The next surprise came with the start of the Kharkiv operation. On the northern front, the Russians were able to completely paralyze data traffic, and the Ukrainians lost contact with their drones. Now the New York Times is reporting that this was not a one-off coup. On the northern front, Starlink is being permanently disrupted. “If they continue to succeed in doing this, it could mark a tactical turning point in the conflict and highlight Ukraine’s vulnerability and dependence on the services of Musk’s company,” the newspaper writes.
So far, the service, which was not primarily intended for military use, has held up against Russian efforts. But now Russia can rely on newer and more advanced technology, said Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital minister. The Russians are “now testing various mechanisms to disrupt the quality of Starlink connections because the system is so important to us.” Kari A. Bingen, a former U.S. Department of Defense official and electronic warfare expert, said Starlink and other satellite communications could be disrupted by a high frequency that overloads the connections. These attacks are typically carried out from a vehicle with a large radio tower.
Starlink is essentially a civilian system
Ukraine’s dependence on a private internet service provider is frightening, but unavoidable. The Starlink system is unique so far; the small satellites fly at a relatively low altitude, which makes delay-free communication and live control possible. The size of the service makes it possible to handle very large amounts of data by moving satellites to any point on Earth.
Unlike hand-made military equipment, the terminals can be obtained in almost unlimited quantities and at a low cost. Military satellites cannot provide these services. It is therefore no wonder that Kiev is making massive use of Starlink. This enabled Kiev to achieve a communications advantage, at least for a while. The dependence on one technology now seems to be taking its toll. If the Russians manage to permanently disrupt the system, the Ukrainians will be back to square one.
Musk’s company is allegedly working on making the system more secure. But systematically, the Russians have an advantage. With the small drones, successful disruptions and countermeasures alternate almost every month. Hardware changes are not possible with the Starlink system. The Russians also have access to all of the terminals’ technology.
Source: NYT