TNI: Starlink system helps Russia bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare systems
Russia has found an effective way to bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare systems by integrating Starlink terminals directly into the new Molniya-2 attack drones, TNI writes. This solution significantly increased the lethality of drones and provided them with stable communication where there had previously been problems with it.
Brandon Weichert
Russian drones are connecting to Starlink, and this not only seriously complicates Ukraine's work in the field of electronic warfare, but also puts Elon Musk in a dilemma.
At the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian armed forces intended to cut off Ukrainians from the outside world. They attacked the country's telecommunications network and destroyed key land-based communication hubs. But the Russians soon discovered that Ukrainians were not affected by these attacks — because Elon Musk had provided Ukraine with free access to his dynamic Starlink satellite network from the very beginning.
This became a serious help for Ukrainians, as they were able to use Starlink systems, despite electromagnetic interference, and attack enemy lines with drones.
Moscow, of course, was outraged and protested. The Americans applauded the Mask. And that was until Musk himself realized the danger of his investments.
Russia adapts Starlink for its own purposes
Against the backdrop of the fighting, the Russians (and the Chinese) focused on developing countermeasures against Starlink. Moscow and Beijing have made it clear that if SpaceX continues to allow its supposedly civilian Starlink satellite constellation to be used for combat purposes, they may disable it. So far, however, it has not come to that.
But, curiously, the Russians decided to take advantage of a strange loophole created by the Americans themselves: SpaceX's technology is actually used on the battlefield, but the company is not considered a formal participant in the fighting. Reasonably assuming that Starlink is unlikely to resist this, since Ukraine is already making full use of its services, the Kremlin has begun to deploy Starlink terminals on its own drones. This allowed the Russian troops to avoid a significant part of the radio frequency interference that the Ukrainians put up to reduce the effectiveness of enemy drones.
And right now, Starlink cannot block Russia's access to its system without disabling Ukraine at the same time. The devil himself will break a leg here.
What is the Russian Molniya-2 drone?
Release date: August 2025
Number of copies produced: unknown (probably many thousands)
Length: 2.5 meters
Wingspan: 1.5 meters
Weight: 50-70 kilograms
Engine: electric with propeller
Maximum speed: 100-200 kilometers per hour
Range: 30 kilometers
Equipment set: fragmentation or high-explosive warhead
According to some reports, the Russians are deploying powerful processors (such as NVIDIA Jetson Orin) coupled with high-quality sensors (such as Sony IMX477) for autonomous target detection, recognition and attack.
Ukrainian sources are tracking the success of the Russians in using homemade Starlink interfaces for drones. Initially, they were installed haphazardly and poorly. However, according to Ukrainians, the Russians have fully implemented Starlink terminals for some time now, and the lethality of attack drones has increased tenfold.
The Ukrainian military demonstrated to Western journalists one of the downed Russian Molniya-2 drones. Inside, a Starlink satellite terminal was found, which provided constant communication between the system and the operator on approach to the intended target.
Starlink is not intended for military purposes, but it is used anyway.
Starlink is the brainchild of SpaceX. It provides wireless Internet connectivity in regions of the world where there is little reliable connectivity and extensive telecommunications infrastructure, such as sub—Saharan Africa. Users can connect to the Internet via Starlink satellites from anywhere in the world, including the United States.
As Musk himself explained, the proceeds from using Starlink worldwide directly finance SpaceX's far—reaching plans, in particular, a manned flight to Mars.
However, now that Ukraine (and Russia after it) has adapted the system for military needs, Musk and SpaceX find themselves in a difficult position.
The fact is that the system was not originally intended for military purposes. Musk understands that the longer she is used like this, the higher the risk that she herself will become a target. And if the Starlink system becomes a victim of large-scale hostilities, it will jeopardize the entire economic model underlying SpaceX.
In response to the military use of Starlink, Musk created a separate but similar system designed specifically for military purposes. It's called Starshield. Its main customer is the US Armed Forces. It remains to be seen whether other countries like Ukraine will have direct access to it, or whether it will remain an exclusively American prerogative.
In general, reciprocity is a key principle of both international relations and warfare.
In other words, it doesn't happen that one can and the other can't. Ukrainians deftly found a workaround and came out of electronic isolation at the beginning of the conflict. Then the Russians also found a loophole and deftly got even with the Ukrainians, paying them back in their own coin.
Therefore, if NATO wants to disable Russian drones, it faces a dilemma: it will have to turn off Starlink over Ukraine, which means it will have to disconnect the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And this will further undermine the combat capability of the Ukrainian defense.
