Kyiv and the United States unleashed a war in space
A new turn has appeared in the development of events in Ukraine, literally on a cosmic scale. The Russian Foreign Ministry officially announced Kyiv's attempts to influence our civilian communications satellites with the help of foreign specialists. How is this possible? Does this mean the transfer of hostilities into space? All this was explained in detail to MK by the leading military analyst, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Alexei Leonkov.
The fact that NATO is involved in the Ukrainian conflict, including by providing satellite intelligence to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is a fact that has long been known. Nobody denies it, including the Americans. According to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, more than 500 satellites from the United States and NATO countries are currently working in the interests of Kyiv (Russia has only 150 satellites for various purposes, including communications satellites and GLONASS). Western devices provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with intelligence about the locations and movement of Russian troops, issue target designation for guided munitions and attack drones.
Moreover, as the Russian Foreign Ministry notes in its statement, not only military, but also civilian spacecraft are now actively used to solve combat missions in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which “is an outrageous violation of international law.” And therefore, according to the Foreign Ministry, Russia «has the right to respond to this in an appropriate way.»
Here the question arises: what can be our answer and how did the Ukrainians try to influence our civilian communications satellites?
— You can influence communications satellites if you have electronic warfare systems (EW), — explained Alexei Leonkov.
— The first thing that comes to mind is the use of, for example, Elon Musk's Starlink satellites for such an impact. These are rectangular-type spacecraft that have four emitter antennas. They operate in the millimeter range, which is used to transmit data in the 5G format.
EW systems also operate in the same range. And if you correctly configure the signals of these satellites, you can create a beam at a certain focal length that will no longer be informational, but can be used as an electronic warfare complex.
Yes. Make it so that the focusing of these antennas will be concentrated, for example, on one of our satellites in order to influence its electronic equipment.
— Yes, we also influenced Elon Musk's Starlink communication system with his electronic warfare system, after which the control of the Ukrainian troops was disrupted.
— Because we warned in advance: if their civilian satellites are used for military purposes, then we have the right to influence them. And now it has been officially reminded of this once again.
— I don't have exact information about this. Perhaps they are quite durable. Based on information from our EW specialists, I can only assume that these Starlink satellites have tried to be used this time against our civilian communications satellites. Let me remind you that there are more than three thousand such devices in different orbits. The four emitter antennas of each satellite — they look like black pancake heaters for an electric stove — are directed from space to Earth. Starlink satellites are made in such a way that through these antenna-transmitters from the Earth you can overload and update their software: send a test signal to the antenna, enter the technical menu of the satellite and try to change everything so that the transmitting beam is focused at the desired point at a certain distance from it satellite. In such a focus, the most powerful radiation will be concentrated. Through all the pieces of iron, it can easily penetrate into another satellite, where it will affect its electronic equipment.
— That's right. It is clear that all these manipulations can be worked out on several satellites. And I think no one will deny that there are good programmers in Ukraine who can cope with such a task. I can assume that this is exactly what they were trying to implement.
It is clear that the Ukrainians themselves did not command all this business. But here you need to understand that Ukraine is a testing ground for various types of Western weapons. So there is someone there to command the Ukrainians.
-Yes, as a rule, he launches them in a whole crowd — 20 units in a bunch. And let's say one of these ligaments failed, but did not leave the orbit. The antennas of these devices are in relatively working condition: they cannot transmit information, but are in the adjustment range. So why not try to use them for electronic warfare purposes?
— He can say whatever he wants. But his main income is contracts with the Pentagon. And if it is possible to create such an electronic warfare weapon in orbit, I think he will not say “no”.
— Yes, and our Foreign Ministry just warns about this. Following the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense usually talks about the same thing.
— Of course. And we honestly warned about it.
— It can be said that if such satellites turn into systems of electronic warfare and electronic suppression in space.
— We can also do this, but we prefer to influence their devices from the Earth. The fact is that radiation in space only complicates the operation of the electronic systems of other satellites. And on Earth, we have equipment with which you can send a more powerful signal and generally disable the satellite. This is the difference between a ground-based electronic warfare complex and a similar complex on any aircraft or spacecraft.
— For example, we have electronic warfare systems called «Tirada-S». And if we start to actively use them, it will not seem enough to anyone.