Starlink Disconnection Slowed Down the Russian Offensive. But For How Long?
Ukraine has stated that the pace of the Russian military offensive has slowed down after Russian military personnel were restricted from accessing Starlink satellite internet. According to sources in the Ukrainian army, two days after the actual blockade, Russian units began to conduct assaults less frequently, and in some areas, they completely stopped, writes Politico. Similar information was reported by Radio Svaboda a day earlier, citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Starlink satellites. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ruslan Leviev, founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) group, however, urges skepticism towards these reports, writes 'Agentstvo'.
He emphasizes that Starlink was not Russia's primary military field communication system, so a breakthrough by Ukrainian forces due to the blockade should not be expected. According to Leviev, Russian military personnel will face individual problems, but these are not critical for overall communication on the front.
According to anonymous military sources, problems in the Russian army have led to delays in command processing and partial strategic disorientation of troops. The situation in some areas of the front is described as a "catastrophe": troop command is temporarily paralyzed, assaults have been suspended, and some groups are left without the ability to communicate with each other.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an advisor to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, notes that the problems also affected strike drone operations and the evacuation of casualties. Some Russian units found themselves "like blind kittens" as they lacked access to effective troop management.
According to Politico, Ukrainian military personnel also faced problems with their own Starlink terminals. This was due to units not submitting lists for private terminals in a timely manner. Without authorization, this temporarily disrupted drone operations and front-line operations. However, the situation has begun to improve: some blocked terminals are already working, and Ukrainian units are awaiting the full restoration of all systems.
Restricting access for Russian military personnel became possible after Ukraine's Ministry of Defense appealed to SpaceX. The decision was made after Russian forces began to use satellite internet to control Shahed strike drones.
On February 1, it was announced that Ukrainian Starlink terminals would only work with authorization, while unverified ones would be disconnected. SpaceX owner Elon Musk noted that these measures "are bearing fruit."
A large number of reports appeared online from z-bloggers complaining about terminal problems in Russian troops, with some war correspondents calling Musk a "fascist." According to these sources, the Starlink blockade most strongly affected assault groups, as they lost communication and control on the front.
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