# Jamming and Resilience Hub: [[Topics/Starlink/Starlink|Starlink]] · Related: [[Topics/Starlink/User Terminals and GNSS|User Terminals and GNSS]] · [[Topics/Starlink/Ground Network and Laser Links|Ground Network and Laser Links]] · [[Topics/Starlink/People/Serhii Beskrestnov|Serhii Beskrestnov]] ## Two different targets 1. **GPS jamming and spoofing** hits the dish's GNSS receiver. Russia jams GPS widely in Ukraine. Kutkov: "initially it was quite harmful for Starlink because it used a lot of GPS data… now, SpaceX has adapted its software to only work with Starlink itself" ([France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260703-ukraine-russia-faces-challenge-jamming-starlink)). Field fixes: better external GPS antennas ([Kutkov, 2023](https://olegkutkov.me/2023/11/07/connecting-external-gps-antenna-to-the-starlink-terminal/)) and the Star Debug app's "Inhibit GPS" setting ([Focus.ua](https://focus.ua/digital/596418-rossiyane-podavlyaet-gps-i-meshayut-rabote-starlink-na-pole-boya-no-vsu-uzhe-nashli-resheniya)) ⚠️. See [[Topics/Starlink/User Terminals and GNSS|User Terminals and GNSS]]. 2. **Starlink link jamming** tries to drown the satellite's receiver (uplink) or the dish's receiver (downlink). ## Why Starlink is hard to jam From [France 24, Jul 3, 2026](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260703-ukraine-russia-faces-challenge-jamming-starlink): - **Wide bandwidth:** "you need to be able to jam all the frequencies Starlink is using" (Thomas Withington, RUSI). - **Narrow beams:** to jam the dish "your jamming signal [must be] beamed directly into the receiving Starlink antenna", so the jammer has to be close (Withington). - **Many satellites:** there are "multiple [satellites] in the sky above some area" and terminals "switch to backup satellites if something is wrong with the current satellite" (Kutkov). A jammer must track each satellite precisely and keep re-aiming. ## What Russia has tried | When | What | Source | |---|---|---| | Early Mar 2022 | Musk said terminals were jammed in Ukraine and SpaceX pushed a software update; no independent detail | Secure World Foundation report, via [France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260703-ukraine-russia-faces-challenge-jamming-starlink) ⚠️ | | 2023 (leak) | Leaked US documents suggested Russia tried its "Tobol" systems against Starlink | [Washington Post, Apr 18, 2023](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/04/18/discord-leaks-starlink-ukraine/) ⚠️ (paywalled); France 24 | | May 2024 | Ukrainian officials said "powerful" EW systems were jamming Starlink | France 24 | | Late 2024 | TASS reported "Kalinka", said to locate Starlink and Starshield signals | France 24 (independent info "extremely limited") ⚠️ | | 2024 → mid-2026 | "Volna Kupol Garant": six trailers, two antennas each, aiming interference at satellites; first spotted in Kharkiv region in 2024, used at scale from mid-2026; up to a dozen seen; about $1.5M each (Beskrestnov); covers about 20 km² (pravda.ru). Ukraine struck one near Melitopol, shown in a video of Jun 15, 2026 | France 24 ⚠️ (France 24 could not verify the model) | | Jul 2026 | Reuters: Russia tries to jam Starlink to counter Ukrainian drones | [Reuters, Jul 8, 2026](https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/russia-tries-jam-musks-starlink-systems-counter-ukrainian-drones-2026-07-08/) ⚠️ (paywalled) | TASS quoted Dmitry Kuzyakin on Volna: "It aims to jam the satellite itself… it literally blinds it with parasitic signals." Kutkov's description: "like someone is screaming directly into your ear" (France 24). ## Limits of the jammers Big installations are easy to spot visually, by their RF emissions and by their heat, and Ukraine has already hit one. Withington "treats the Russian claims with scepticism" (France 24). ## Resilience on the network side - Laser links route around damaged or unavailable ground infrastructure ([[Topics/Starlink/Ground Network and Laser Links|Ground Network]]). - Starlink-based positioning reduces dependence on GPS ([[Topics/Starlink/User Terminals and GNSS|PNT]]). - The biggest outages in Ukraine came from **policy** (geofences, speed caps, Starshield status), not jamming. See [[Topics/Starlink/Access Control and Speed Policy|Access Control]] and [[Topics/Starlink/Ukraine Timeline|Ukraine Timeline]] ⚠️ (editorial judgement from the record collected here).