It’s official – Russia has been using its satellite jamming program to attack its enemies. This classified document, leaked in all its glory through Discord, is dated from March and tells us what we already knew – that Russia’s program intended to protect its own satellites while simultaneously being used to target its enemies. There’s no indication of whether the tests have actually worked, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
SpaceX, the brilliant minds behind Starlink, had no comment on the matter, leaving Russia to it as they expressed their love for satellite warfare. Elon Musk made a brief statement on Twitter back in May, stating that the Russians have been trying to jam and hack Starlink, but his project has proven resilient. It seems the Russians just won’t back down – they love a challenge.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, played it cool and refused to comment. Maj. Charlie Dietz responded to questions, “These systems constitute an important layer in Ukraine’s communications network.” The Defense Department wants to ensure the Ukrainians have the satellite capabilities they need, but they don’t want to get involved in ongoing satellite warfare – it’s not their problem.
Ukrainian officials are aware of Russia’s interesting hobby and are taking all necessary measures. Kostiantyn Zhura, a spokesman for the Ukrainian defense ministry, relayed that they’re focused on neutralizing the Russians’ efforts. Apparently, their secret weapon is the Starlink, which has been essential to the Ukrainian military. The Russians have successfully taken out other communication equipment, including radios and cellphones, but the satellite signals have so far remained intact. Take that, Russia!
Elon Musk has faced a little bit of backlash in the past for showing a little too much love to Russia, but he’s a creature of habit. Last fall, he shared his plan to end the war and was criticized for being too favorable to Russia. Then, when he threatened to halt funding for the Starlink service, he received even more heat. He eventually relented but couldn’t resist a good ol’ fashion satellite spat.
Although Musk is a genius, there’s still no clear answer as to whether the outages experienced in Ukraine over the past few months were a result of Russia’s Tobol experiments or their other jamming capabilities, like the Tirada-2 system. Ukrainian troops experienced disruptions in October, and according to the Financial Times, the Ukrainians believe SpaceX restricted internet access in some areas to stop the Russians from using it. It’s like a game of cat and mouse – or more like, satellite and missile.
Analysts have identified seven Tobol complexes in Russia, all of which are located near satellite facilities. Uplink jamming can happen in space by targeting the satellites directly and on the ground, where weapons can target receivers. The Tobol program is thought to work in this way, according to Bart Hendrickx, a researcher familiar with the project. The ground-based method is known as downlink jamming and has a smaller area of effect. Next time the Russians want to jam the satellite, they should think bigger.
The secret assessment document reveals “Russia’s ongoing military operational experiment to target the Starlink satellite communications system over Ukraine with Russia’s Tobol-1” and identifies three locations in Russia where the tests were conducted. It’s no surprise the region under attack is Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which has been the most intense fighting site in the past year. Don’t worry, though, the experiment launched in September but mysteriously went on for over five months with no indication of its success.
Although Tobol complexes sound like a defensive satellite system, their location suggests that they’re being used for more offensive purposes. The three sites discussed in the secret assessment, one near Moscow, one near Crimea, and the other in the western Russian exclave of Kaliningrad are the closest facilities to Ukraine, making them perfect for an offensive operation. Brian Weeden of the Secure World Foundation has pointed out that the complexes’ coverage area seems to envelop Ukraine entirely. You know what they say – keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
The Tobol program is shrouded in mystery, to the frustration of the curious public, and its capabilities remain unknown despite being around for over a decade. Bart Hendrickx initially thought that the system was defensive in nature, but further analysis reveals that it can also be used offensively. Starlink satellites pass close enough to the earth that Tobol is likely capable of beaming interference signals at them. It’s difficult to jam all of the satellites, but even a few disruptions can throw the Ukrainian troops into chaos, which makes the Russians happy. Who said satellite warfare couldn’t be fun?
Serious News: washingtonpost
