Anna Hartz
Technology has become a major part of modern warfare.
Armies use drones, satellites, and encrypted tools to stay connected. They also try to block each other from using the same technology. This has created a new front in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. One of the latest examples shows how far digital deception can go.
Russians have become dependent on Musk’s Starlink
A Ukrainian cyberwarfare unit says it created a fake version of the Starlink network to trick Russian soldiers, according to Digi24. The story was reported by Business Insider. The 256th Cyber Assault Division said it worked with open-source intelligence groups to build a group of channels and bots on the Telegram app. These channels appeared to offer help registering Starlink terminals on a Ukrainian whitelist. In reality, Ukrainian forces controlled everything and collected the information Russian troops sent in.
The unit said the Russians believed the offer. They were looking for ways to keep using Starlink after SpaceX restricted service in Ukraine. The company now allows only terminals connected to the Ukrainian government to operate. The change followed reports that Russian forces were buying terminals on the black market and using them to coordinate drone attacks and battlefield communication.
Russian officials have played down the impact. Ukrainian officials argue that Russian attempts to register terminals show how dependent they have become on the system created by Elon Musk.
Pushing fake channels
The 256th Division said it saw an opportunity. It teamed up with InformNapalm and MILITANT to push the fake channels. According to screenshots posted by the division, bots asked Russian soldiers to provide information about their terminals. The soldiers appeared to share ID numbers, dish numbers, account numbers, and even the latitude and longitude of their positions. Business Insider could not confirm the screenshots.
The Ukrainian unit said it gathered 2,420 entries with location data. It also collected $5,870 from Russian troops paying for the fake service. The group said 31 Ukrainians also asked for help registering terminals.
InformNapalm described its role as support. It pretended to protest the Telegram channels publicly to make them look real. MILITANT called the effort “Operation Self-Liquidation.”
The 256th Division said it passed the information to Serhii Sternenko, who works with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on drone logistics. InformNapalm later wrote on X that the operation had achieved its goal.
