Ukraine Strikes Russia’s Newest $1.5 Million Starlink-Jamming EW System Near Black Sea Coast

Ukraine’s military has destroyed Russia’s latest electronic warfare (EW) system, reportedly designed to disrupt Starlink satellite communications, in the Black Sea resort city of Gelendzhik, according to Ukrainian and Russian sources. The strike hit a “Volna Kupol Garant” EW complex stationed at military unit No. 2156 on Aug. 7, Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ and Russian pro-war Telegram channel Voenny Osvedomitel reported.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The destruction was confirmed by satellite imagery released by Ukrainian OSINT analysts. The strike marks at least the third reported loss of the advanced Russian system in recent months. Ukraine previously said it had hit similar complexes on June 14 and June 25, including one near occupied Crimea’s Kerch. Russia has increasingly deployed the “Volna Kupol Garant” system as part of efforts to counter Ukraine’s long-range strikes against logistics hubs and military infrastructure inside Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories. The system is reportedly designed to interfere with satellite communications by creating powerful electronic noise across eight frequency bands used for satellite data transmission in the 14–14.5 GHz range. Ukrainian officials previously claimed a single complex could provide coverage over an area of roughly 20 square kilometers. However, the system’s size may have become its biggest weakness. Other Topics of Interest Zaluzhny Is Right About Western Weapons but Wrong About NATO Russia may have adapted to nearly every Western weapon supplied to Ukraine. But that does not mean NATO is doomed, or that its full military potential has been tested. “Due to the enormous dimensions of the system, its concealment in the field is practically impossible, and its powerful radiation helps the enemy locate the complex even deep in the rear,” the Russian Telegram channel Voenny Osvedomitel wrote. According to Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, known by his call sign Flash, the system is manufactured by Russian Kupol LLC at a facility in occupied Simferopol and costs the Russian military around $1.5 million per unit. Ukraine first detected Russia using the system in 2024 near the Kharkiv direction, but the complex was quickly identified and destroyed. Large-scale deployment of the systems was not reported until 2026. The reported destruction comes as Russia and Ukraine increasingly target each other’s electronic warfare capabilities. Moscow has prioritized EW systems to counter Ukraine’s growing use of satellite communications, including Starlink-enabled battlefield coordination and drone operations. Alisa is the Head of News and a correspondent at Kyiv Post, where she leads the newsroom’s coverage of breaking events and global developments. With over seven years of experience in TV journalism, Alisa has reported on international and Ukrainian politics, making complex stories easier to understand. Back in September 2022, Alisa joined the Kyiv Post team.