Russian "Starlink killer": the United States and allies are worried about Kalinka

Russian electronic warfare (EW) "Tobol" and "Kalinka" are actively used to disrupt the operation of the American satellites Starlink and Starshield. This is reported by the American edition of SpaceNews with reference to the report of the Safe World Foundation (SWF).

In the report "Global Anti-space Capabilities: an assessment from open Sources", published on April 3, it is noted that Starlink became the main target for hostile countries after it demonstrated its effectiveness in combat conditions on Ukraine.

According to the report, the Ukrainian military began experiencing interruptions in the operation of Starlink in May 2024. Ukrainian officials attribute this to the fact that Russia is "testing various mechanisms" of its electronic warfare systems.

"NWF analysts identify two key Russian systems: Tobol and Kalinka. Originally designed to protect Russian satellites from jamming, the Tobol system has been repurposed to disrupt satellite communications and navigation systems such as GPS. At least seven Tobol complexes are distributed throughout Russia, and leaked US military documents indicate that Russia has deployed at least three installations specifically to target Starlink signals over Eastern Ukraine," the newspaper writes.

However, the United States and its allies are most concerned about the new Russian Kalinka system, dubbed the "Starlink Killer." This electronic warfare platform is capable of detecting and disrupting signals to and from Starlink satellites for the specific purpose of interfering with Ukrainian UAVs and military communications.

"What makes Kalinka particularly alarming is its alleged ability to detect terminals connected to Starshield, a military version of Starlink designed with improved security features, the report notes," the publication emphasizes.