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

Ukrainian forces have successfully dismantled Russia's newest electronic warfare (EW) system, reportedly intended to interfere with Starlink satellite communications, in the Black Sea resort city of Gelendzhik, according to both Ukrainian and Russian sources. The attack targeted a "Volna Kupol Garant" EW complex located at military unit No. 2156 on August 7, as reported by Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ and Russian pro-war Telegram channel Voenny Osvedomitel.

The destruction was further corroborated by satellite imagery supplied by Ukrainian OSINT analysts, marking at least the third loss of this advanced Russian system in recent months. Prior reports indicate Ukrainian forces also destroyed similar complexes on June 14 and June 25, including one near occupied Crimea's Kerch. Russia has ramped up the deployment of the "Volna Kupol Garant" system as part of its strategy to neutralize Ukraine's long-range strikes against logistics hubs and military installations within Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories.

This EW system is said to disrupt satellite communications by generating intense electromagnetic noise across eight frequency bands utilized for data transmission in the 14–14.5 GHz range. Ukrainian officials previously estimated a single complex could cover an area of roughly 20 square kilometers. However, the system's considerable size may have been its most significant vulnerability, as its conspicuous dimensions make concealment in the field virtually impossible and its powerful emissions aid the enemy in locating the complex, even deep in the rear, as noted by Russian Telegram channel Voenny Osvedomitel.

The system's estimated cost to the Russian military is approximately $1.5 million per unit. Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, known by his call sign Flash, revealed that the system was manufactured by Russian Kupol LLC in occupied Simferopol. Ukraine first identified Russia's utilization of the system in 2024 near the Kharkiv direction, but the complex was promptly neutralized.

The large-scale deployment of these systems was not reported until 2026. The reported destruction of the EW complex comes amid a surge in both countries' targeting of each other's electronic warfare capabilities, with Russia prioritizing EW systems to counter Ukraine's expanding use of satellite communications, including Starlink-enabled battlefield coordination and drone operations.