Recent Ukrainian gains on the battlefield may be linked to the disruption of Russian forces’ access to the Starlink satellite internet service, according to sources. The loss of this connectivity has reportedly complicated command and control operations for the Russian military, with no readily available equivalent system.
Pro-Russian channels have warned of problems on the front lines following the reported outages in Starlink access.
“It suddenly turns out that units without communication cannot operate effectively. For some, this will be news,” wrote a channel called “Belaruski silovik.” “The Russian army simply has no Starlink alternatives – a lot, including combat control, was tied to it,” complained “Voennyj obozrevatel.”
“We’re left without communication!” a Russian soldier reportedly lamented, appealing for urgent donations to purchase radio stations.
Starlink terminals were reportedly entering Russian units illegally, smuggled from other countries. Activation was possible because the terminals were formally registered as operating within Ukrainian territory, even in occupied areas. The U.S. Department of Defense discussed the possibility of deactivating terminals used by the Russian military with SpaceX as early as the Biden administration. By the summer of 2024, the Pentagon announced the deactivation of hundreds of such illicit terminals.
However, the issue remained unresolved, and the matter was not actively pursued when Donald Trump returned to the presidency.
Ukraine’s newly appointed Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fiodorov, requested SpaceX to disable Russian-operated terminals in January. All devices not registered in Ukraine were deactivated. Russian forces had been using the terminals not only for communication but also mounting them on combat drones in an attempt to bypass Ukrainian defense systems.
Immediately following the shutdown, Ukrainian armed forces recorded a decrease in Russian combat activity. On February 5, the General Staff reported 56 Russian assault attempts, compared to previous daily rates of 80-110.
Both sides have reported localized gains in the Zaporizhzhia region in recent days. Ukrainian forces announced the recapture of the village of Kosivka on Wednesday.
Russian forces have almost completely occupied the city of Huliaipole in recent weeks – the last major settlement on the road to the administrative center of the Zaporizhzhia region.
