Kathrine Frich
Ukrainian officials say a critical system used by Moscow’s forces has stopped working.
This have had immediate consequences for combat operations.
The development involves foreign technology and comes as fighting continues alongside U.S.-mediated negotiations to end the war.
Starlink disrupted
Ukraine said on Thursday that Starlink satellite internet terminals used by Russian forces in Ukraine had been disabled.
According to Reuters, Ukrainian officials described the move as a major setback for Moscow’s army.
Kyiv says Russian troops had been using thousands of Starlink connections without authorization since the 2022 invasion. The terminals are believed to have been central to secure communications and coordination during attacks.
Reuters reported it could not independently confirm the full scale of the disruption. However, three Ukrainian sources said the impact appeared significant.
Working with spacex
Ukraine announced last week that it was cooperating with Elon Musk’s company SpaceX to block Starlink terminals used by Russian forces, including those mounted on attack drones. Officials said they were compiling a “white list” of authorized devices.
“Starlink terminals included in the ‘white list’ are working – Russian terminals have already been blocked,” Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram, adding that the list was still being updated.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On Sunday, Musk said measures to stop Russia’s unauthorized use of Starlink appeared to have been effective.
Assaults halted
A Ukrainian military source close to the front line told Reuters that Russian Starlink terminals were no longer functioning. The source said Russian units were attempting to switch to domestically produced RS-30M satellite terminals.
“More time is needed to fully assess the impact. But I am sure that the accuracy and number of hits are decreasing,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A Russian military blog, Two Majors, also reported a major failure of Starlink terminals on Wednesday evening.
“A catastrophe”
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister, described the situation in stark terms. “The entire command of the troops has collapsed. Assault operations have been stopped in many areas,” he wrote on Telegram.
Another Ukrainian military source on the eastern front said Russian units were facing severe communication problems, with almost all Starlink connections down.
Such a disruption would mark a notable success for Fedorov, who became defence minister last month. As Ukraine’s digitalisation minister in 2022, he persuaded Musk to activate Starlink coverage for Ukraine after the invasion began.
Broader context
Ukraine relies on tens of thousands of Starlink connections for battlefield communications and for controlling attack drones.
The number of terminals used by Russia remains unclear, though a former Ukrainian intelligence chief said in early 2024 that it ran into the thousands.
Starlink has said it does not operate in or with Russia.
Ukraine said last week it had found Starlink terminals on Russian long-range drones, prompting Kyiv to seek SpaceX’s assistance.
Russia has made only limited territorial gains since late 2023, while talks mediated by the United States continue alongside the fighting.
Sources: Reuters, AP, Hotnews.
