Pentagon Leaks: The Russians Attacked Musk's Satellite Communications in Ukraine with Tobol-1

Russia's drive to sabotage Ukrainian forces' Internet access by targeting Starlink satellite communications provided by billionaire Elon Musk to Kyiv appears to be more advanced than previously known, a classified US intelligence report leaked alongside the affair "Pentagon leaks," writes The Washington Post, which obtained the report.

According to the document, which is marked "top secret", for months Moscow has been experimenting with its Tobol electronic warfare systems to disrupt Starlink communications in Ukraine. The report is among the sensitive material leaked via the Discord messaging platform and is dated March.

It's not clear from its text whether any of the Russian attempts were successful, but the intelligence finding is nonetheless startling because it appears to confirm what observers had previously only assumed: that a program ostensibly designed to protect Kremlin satellites could be used to attack Moscow's opponents.

SpaceX, the company that owns Starlink, declined to comment on the matter. Last spring, Musk briefly mentioned the Kremlin's attempts to attack his technology, tweeting in May that while Starlink had demonstrated its resilience against such "jamming and hacking" attempts, the Russians appeared to be stepping up their efforts.

The Pentagon did not respond to questions about the leaked data. "These systems represent an important layer in Ukraine's communications network," said Maj. Charlie Dietz, a Defense Department spokesman. The department's focus, he added, "remains on providing Ukrainians with the satellite capabilities they need."

Konstantin Zhura, a spokesman for Ukraine's defense ministry, said authorities in Kyiv were aware of Russia's efforts and were "taking...