Russia and China target Starlink satellites in three-phase plan
A joint Russian and Chinese campaign aims to dismantle the Starlink satellite network, signalling that control of low-Earth orbit has become a decisive front in modern warfare.
Russia and China have developed a joint plan to disable the Starlink satellite network. The three-phase strategy was discussed during secret talks between Russian and Chinese defence engineers in Guangzhou.
The targeting of SpaceX’s infrastructure follows its critical role in blunting Russia’s military advance. Outgoing Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov implemented a whitelist with SpaceX that blocked Starlink access for Russian units. The result was an immediate tactical collapse for Moscow. “All command over the units collapsed. Offensive operations were halted in many areas,” wrote Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to the minister.
To counter this Western advantage, engineers from China’s leading space and defence institutions met with Russian delegates to design a workaround. Because Starlink lacks a central transmission hub, disabling it requires more than jamming a single ground station. Chinese researchers described this decentralized design as a threat that created a “space blockade”.
The proposed solution involves three stages. First, the two nations aim to build an international coalition to impose regulatory restrictions on SpaceX by citing the alleged risk of satellite collisions. Second, they plan to occupy the frequency bands and orbital slots Starlink needs, paired with a joint electromagnetic jamming architecture.
The final phase would escalate to cyberattacks and the physical destruction of satellites using low-cost methods. This campaign, framed by Beijing and Moscow as self-defence, outlines a state-sponsored effort to dismantle a private Western infrastructure asset.
The documents illustrate a broader shift in global defence economics and military strategy. Future conflicts will increasingly be defined by the ability to control satellite communications and data transmission, rather than traditional hardware. “Ukraine has become the first large-scale example of just how decisive such a technological advantage can be,” Yevhen Pronin, a Ukrainian expert on drones and international law, told Denník N.
Russia is attempting to build its own low-Earth-orbit constellation to reduce its reliance on foreign technology. However, Moscow lags significantly in satellite numbers, infrastructure scale and deployment speed. A more realistic path for the Kremlin is deeper technological integration with China, pooling resources to challenge Western dominance in space.
