Ukraine’s 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment just took out two Russian electronic warfare systems specifically built to jam Starlink satellite communications. The systems, known as “Volna Kupol Garant” or simply Guarantor, were deployed near Melitopol in occupied southern Ukraine, and each one costs roughly $1.5 million.

How Russia tried to blind Ukraine’s drone fleet

The Guarantor systems work by targeting Starlink’s uplink frequency band of 14 to 14.5 GHz. In plain English, they try to drown out the signal between ground terminals and satellites overhead, making it impossible for Ukrainian drone operators to coordinate attacks in real time.

The jamming affects satellite reception over a localized area of approximately 20 square kilometers. The systems were positioned to protect Russian logistics routes against Ukrainian UAVs that have been hammering supply lines in occupied territory.

The Guarantor systems are manufactured by Russkiy Kupol, a company based in occupied Crimea.

Starlink’s battlefield evolution

SpaceX’s satellite constellation has been providing communication support to the Ukrainian military since early 2022. In a country where terrestrial networks have been degraded by years of fighting, Starlink became the backbone for coordinating everything from artillery strikes to drone operations.

SpaceX has implemented software updates specifically designed to harden Starlink against electronic warfare attempts. Russia has been attempting to disrupt Starlink communications since the constellation first activated in Ukraine, and each round of jamming has been met with countermeasures from SpaceX’s engineering team.

SpaceX blocked usage of Starlink units by Russian forces in February 2026, cutting off what had apparently been an awkward situation where both sides of the conflict were relying on the same commercial satellite network.

What this means for investors

Defense tech investors should pay attention to the economics at play here. Russia is spending $1.5 million per jamming unit to disrupt terminals that cost orders of magnitude less, and it’s losing those units to the very drone systems they’re meant to protect against.

The company’s defense revenue streams, including direct contracts with the US military through its Starshield program, gain credibility every time Starlink proves itself under fire.

As commercial satellites become more entangled in active combat, governments may push for greater oversight of how companies like SpaceX manage access to their networks in conflict zones.