Belarus unveils replica of Starlink system that will ‘make Elon Musk nervous’

Belarus has announced the development of its own satellite communications system called Kulisa, positioning it as an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink, Belarusian military communications chief Vadim Romaniv said on Belarusian national television, Ukrainian media reported Defense Express on December 11.

While Romaniv highlighted Kulisa’s potential, the show featured no visuals of the system.

Kulisa satellite communications system, with commercially available visible components. (Source: CTVBY)

However, two weeks earlier, another Belarusian channel, CTVBY, aired a segment titled “Elon Musk nervous! Belarusian Starlink equivalent“, presenting the system design.

Kulisa satellite communications system. (Source: CTVBY)

Further analysis of the video reveals that Kulisa is nowhere near Starlink’s technological match.

Rather than showcasing innovative technology, it appears to be a patchwork of commercially available components, assembled with minimal proprietary innovation.

The system consists primarily of standard civilian communications equipment housed in a basic enclosure
Its only military-grade component is the “Prytok-SH” IP encryption device.
The setup includes a conventional satellite dish for communication, likely connected to commercial telecommunications satellites that predate Starlink’s advanced network.

Unlike Starlink, which has more than 6,000 satellites in orbit providing seamless global coverage, Kulisa runs on much older satellite technologies. These systems were widely used in the early 2000s but were largely abandoned thanks to innovations from Starlink.

Satellite antenna of the Kulisa satellite communication system. (Source: CTVBY)

Belarus, where Starlink is not available, made no mention of satellite network replication critical to Starlink’s success.

In September, Belarus launched a new propaganda platform: a state-controlled video streaming platform called Videobel, the brainchild of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko himself.

The website specifically published videos produced by the state and state media that were blocked from Western audiences and social media.