A Traitor, Bodyguards, and the "King of Money Laundering": How the GRU and Rotenberg Are Creating Russia's "Starlink Killer" – A 24 Channel Investigation

Following Russia’s second attempt to launch satellites into space, there has been lively discussion in the media in Ukraine and around the world about Russia’s efforts to build its own version of Starlink. The reasoning goes that if the invaders manage to launch the necessary number of satellites into space, the Kremlin will gain the ability to launch long-range, guided UAVs.

Such a prospect should be alarming not only to Ukrainians but also to Western countries, as the aggressors will undoubtedly use this technology, at the very least, to carry out precision strikes against Europe. However, there is another side to the coin that Kyiv and its allies should urgently pay attention to – the aggressors’ development of an electronic warfare (EW) system that renders Starlink inoperable.

These are the “Volna Kupol Garant” systems manufactured by JSC “Russian Kupol.” They are capable of neutralizing global satellite internet connectivity within a certain radius of their installation site. So if the Russians gain the ability to shield their own facilities from attacks by so-called “Starlink drones,” Ukraine and NATO member states could very well lose a crucial technological advantage. After all, the ability to control drones over long distances is an incredible boost for any military, and Russia could become the only country capable of both providing its drones with a stable signal and protecting itself from similar enemy systems.

The developers of Russia’s latest electronic warfare systems largely keep their personal information confidential: the only information available is about a few individuals who are listed in official registries and serve as public spokespeople of sorts. All other employees can only rarely comment to the press, using call signs.

The editorial staff of Channel 24 obtained a list of“Russian Dome” employees and analyzed the personal data of the company’s leadership. Read the article to learn how dangerous the "Volna Kupol Granit" project is and who is behind it.

Large Satellite Jammers: How Russian Electronic Warfare Works Against Starlink

According to publicly available data, the electronic warfare systems from JSC “Russian Dome” consist of a lineup of 12 systems, each of which has the word “Volna” in its name.

Physically, the Russian anti-Starlink electronic warfare system consists of massive satellite jammers that direct radio beams at satellites and overload them, making it impossible for them to receive signals from users. Using eight “dishes” mounted on six truck trailers, the system can jam signals across eight frequency bands, causing Starlink subscribers to lose their signal.

The exact range of the system is unknown. Russian propagandists claim that each unit can protect targets within a 20-kilometer radius; however, Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defence Express, stated on Channel 24 that "Volna Kupol Garant" is effective only within a 2.5-kilometer radius of the system's installation site. The cost of the electronic warfare system is approximately $1.5 million.

The “Volna-Kupol-Garant” system / Photo from Russian “media”

In other words, to protect themselves from Ukrainian medium-range strikes, the Russians will have to manufacture, purchase, and deploy a large number of these systems. At the same time, the electronic warfare system itself has quite a few weaknesses: each system can only temporarily disrupt the communication channels of a single satellite, whereas Elon Musk’s company has between 10,000 and 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.

Furthermore, the “Volna-Kupol-Granit” system is extremely bulky, making it virtually impossible to conceal. However, striking the system with drones is entirely possible: the Ukrainian Armed Forces have struck at least two systems in Crimea and one in Gelendzhik.

"Volna Kupol Garant" captured by a drone from the "A" Special Operations Center / Screenshot from an SBU video

It is absolutely impossible to move such systems around or conceal them on the ground in any way, since they literally glow on all radars, and they can be targeted not only via Starlink control but also using drones equipped with machine vision and similar technologies.

Therefore, it is clearly not worth viewing “Russian Dome” products as something with which Moscow can quickly and reliably protect the front line and all its critical facilities at this time. At the same time, we must not underestimate the enemy’s capabilities, as this electronic warfare system is indeed capable of jamming a satellite, and over the years of full-scale war, Russia has demonstrated its ability to take a systematic and comprehensive approach to finding technological solutions.

It cannot be ruled out that in a few years, the aggressor country will succeed in modernizing the “Volna” into something more suitable for covert use in modern warfare.

Moreover, the system’s effectiveness can be considered somewhat questionable, except perhaps for preventing the remote control of drones via Starlink. “Volna Kupol” will jam drones equipped with terminals from other similar broadband internet systems much more reliably until the satellite constellation of that system becomes as numerous as that of Elon Musk. And if Russia continues to develop electronic warfare systems at this pace, in just a few years Moscow may gain such a technological advantage over the West that European countries will have nothing to counter enemy drones with and will be unable to respond with symmetrical measures. After all, if any country on our continent relies on UAVs equipped with Eutelsat OneWeb products or their equivalents without a vast number of satellites in orbit, it may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

“Goblin” Aksyonov and His Ties to Rotenberg: Why Moscow Is Investing Billions in the "Russian Kupol"

The joint-stock company that manufactures the systems was founded only in 2023 in occupied Simferopol, allegedly on the orders of Crimea’s “prime minister” Sergey Aksyonov, known by his criminal nickname “Goblin”. It is clear that the collaborator could not have made the decision to create a company that could potentially become strategically important for Russia on his own – none of the “leaders” of the occupied territories have that much autonomy. In fact, “Russian Dome” was created by people controlled by the GRU and Putin’s “wallet” Arkady Rotenberg.

Given oligarch Rotenberg’s involvement in the project, one might even speculate why the company has Crimean roots specifically, rather than being located somewhere beyond the reach of Ukrainian drones. The fact is that the occupied peninsula is, to a large extent, Rotenberg’s fiefdom and cash cow: the billionaire controls a vast portion of the infrastructure and business sector, and his companies receive more than 25% of Crimea’s annual budget from the state through various federal programs.

The presence of Mykola Ignatov in the ownership structure attests to the connection between this oligarch – who is close to the Kremlin’s “Führer” – and “Russian Dome.” He was listed as the company’s director at the time of its founding. The occupier also heads a firm with the same name, registered in Moscow, and owns the textile company “Megatrade” in Krasnodar and the construction firm “Crimea-Trust.”

In addition, Ignatov is listed as an employee of the security company “Kaskad-RSP,” which Russian media link to the GRU’s 16th Special Forces Brigade and the owner of the “EKS” group of companies, GRU officer Alexei Vlasov.

This is what the old version of the “Kaskad-RSP” website looked like / Screenshot from web.archive

According to numerous media outlets in the aggressor country, it is the Rotenberg family that is the beneficiary of the “EKS” Group. So it’s no surprise at all that "Russian Kupol" very quickly began receiving government contracts worth astronomical sums (the company’s revenue for 2025 totaled just under 37 billion). After all, the entire business of the members of “ "Ozero" Cooperative ” is based on the state awarding contracts to the companies they’ve created, granting all sorts of preferential treatment, and so on.

The king of money laundering, a traitorous police officer, and a Putin-aligned biker: who works at “Russian Dome”

The company’s management is trying to conceal the staff of the firm that develops and manufactures the “Starlink killer.” The only public figure associated with it is CEO Oleksandr Vovchok ( according to Manticore, he lives in Simferopol at 29 Mate Zalki Street, apartment 46, and holds passport No. 7314/023180, issued by the occupiers on April 9, 2014), as well as Executive Director Mykola Ignatov (passport No. 4623/144169, issued on July 13, 2023, by TP No. 1 of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the Moscow Region, Klinsky Municipal District).

The latter headed the firm until March 2025 and is a typical representative of Russian law enforcement-mafia clans: the career of this native of Kolomna, near Moscow, was exclusively tied to the activities of private security companies. Ignatov did not engage in any official business activities until 2022. It was then that the company “MEGATRADE” LLC was registered in his name, followed later by the aforementioned “Crimea-Trust.” For a time in 2023, the occupier was involved in the timber trade while he headed the Krasnoperekopsk-based company “Novatrade.”

The career of the executive director of “Russian Dome” – from security guard to miltech entrepreneur in one step / Screenshot from the Manticore website

As of now, this 6th-grade security guard owns three companies: “Megatrade,” “Domstroy” (whose main focus is managing the assets of other organizations), and the Moscow-based LLC “Russian Dome.”

CEO Oleksandr Vovchok is also an interesting figure. After graduating from the Crimean Law Institute of the Odessa State University of Internal Affairs, the future electronic warfare developer worked in the police force in Simferopol, Ukraine. When Russia occupied the peninsula, the law enforcement officer immediately betrayed his homeland and continued working for the occupying forces’ police, where he built a successful career.

In 2025, Vovchok – by then serving as CEO of “Russian Dome” – worked as deputy head of the Simferopol City Department of Internal Affairs and was even arrested for taking a bribe.

The management of the company that manufactures electronic warfare equipment does not interfere with other ways of earning money / Screenshot from Russian media

Of course, the collaborator faced no punishment for the corruption offense he committed: he continues to work within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system while simultaneously heading “Russian Dome” and its subsidiary, “Dome Service” LLC.

Most of the company’s other top executives – the deputy general director, his advisors, and the designers – have also never been involved in any kind of technological production.

For example, the company’s deputy chief engineer, Vitaliy Punko, is one of the co-founders of Putin’s favorite biker club, the “Night Wolves.” As for engineer Dionis Petrov himself, he worked at “Piznanie,” an autonomous nonprofit organization promoting digital literacy, as well as a lab assistant at the occupied “Vernadsky Crimean Federal University.” On his Instagram, Mr. Dionis notes that he is involved in photography, programming, and video editing.

Orthodox engineer / Screenshot from the Instagram account of the chief engineer of “Russian Dome”

The position of advisor to the general director on the development and planning of the defense of Russian territories using electronic warfare systems against enemy UAVs is held by a truly colorful character – 62-year-old Ivan Myazin, known for his criminal activities, whom Russian media have called the “king of money laundering.”

At one time, this criminal financier headed the Siberian Bank for Economic Development and even owned the fairly large “Promsberbank” for a while, engaging in the transfer of funds abroad. Over the course of several years that the scheme operated – identical to the theft from Ukrainian customers of "PrivatBank" – Myazin and his accomplices stole more than 5 billion rubles from depositors. For this and other financial crimes, the Russian “cash-laundering king” was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 2019, followed by an additional 8 years in 2021.

However, in 2023, the criminal was released from prison and found employment at Scanmedia LLC, and less than 10 months later, he “surfaced” in one of the top positions at “Russian Dome.”

Myazin’s employment history / Screenshot from Manticore

In fact, the entire management of the company – which manufactures a product of strategic importance to Russia – looks like a motley crew of random criminal freaks and law enforcement officials who could in no way be involved in technological development. So, by all accounts, Vovchok and company are simply a group of “overseers” for the project, appointed by those who actually own “Russian Dome,” while entirely different people handle all the technical details and nuances. For example, those who officially hold positions that are by no means managerial, but work as ordinary engineers or assemblers.

See the list of employees of JSC “Russian Dome”:

Russian officials simply won’t award contracts worth billions to ordinary Crimean specialists. And Putin won’t support any real project that originated from the grassroots.

If the sanctions prove ineffective, Russia will gain the upper hand in the near future

However, since the Russian Führer and his henchmen prefer to consistently invest substantial sums in projects – albeit those under their control – but strategically significant projects, there is no doubt that Moscow has every chance of succeeding in the development of the “Volna-Kupol-Garant” project.

It is no coincidence that the Russian dictator personally ordered the government to assist the company in overcoming the challenges of transitioning to domestically produced components. It is not known for certain to what extent the designated officials were able to carry out the order and supply the electronic warfare systems with Russian-made spare parts. However, the overall status of import substitution in the aggressor country leads to the simple conclusion that the main components of any such system are manufactured in the U.S. or Europe.

At the very least, all samples of electronic warfare systems examined by Ukrainian experts – which operate on a similar circuit design for high-frequency jamming generators – are built specifically on chips from Western companies:

• the high-frequency transistors and voltage-controlled generator chips in most models are manufactured by Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, Skyworks, Qorvo, and MACOM;
• Xilinx (AMD) and Altera (Intel) chips, as well as STMicroelectronics microcontrollers, are responsible for signal processing and frequency control;
• voltage converters and power controllers for cooling the emitters are typically manufactured by various U.S. and EU companies.

And even if we assume that the “Volna Kupol Garant” is assembled from Chinese components, as practice shows, most products from Chinese companies contain Taiwanese or American circuit boards.

If Western countries do not begin to seriously screen buyers of military- and dual-use chips and continue to trade with front companies, Moscow could gain two effective and cutting-edge technologies at once: the ability to control its own long-range UAVs through the “Rassvet” project, as well as the ability to counter enemy drones at medium and long ranges through the “Russian Dome.”

However, since neither system is intended for use on the front lines, it is extremely difficult to thoroughly investigate them and identify the companies whose chips the Russians are using. And this significantly reduces the chances of catching Western companies red-handed supplying parts to their own enemies.