Thanks to Elon Musk: Russia’s Starlink communications failure is having dramatic effects on the front.
02/10/2026, 05:3302/10/2026, 05:33
Bojan Stula / ch media
The widespread blocking of the Starlink satellite internet system for Russian troops has consequences. Russian military bloggers and propagandists speak of “an acute crisis at the front.” Moscow is therefore feverishly looking for ways to circumvent the restrictions or find replacements. Ukrainian authorities, on the other hand, see a decisive strategic advantage.
Russian soldiers are struggling with the quasi-Starlink lockdown. (symbol image)Image: keystone
The trigger is a new measure by Elon Musk’s US company SpaceX: Starlink terminals in and around Ukraine only work if they are officially registered and activated on a so-called “white list”. In addition, technical restrictions have been installed to prevent the use of the terminals on drones. If the system detects speeds of around 75 to 90 km/h over a certain period of time, the connection is interrupted, like the specialist portal DroneXL reported. SpaceX has particularly hit Russia, which recently used Starlink intensively for drone attacks.
“No alternative to Starlink”
The effect was immediate. Russian military blogger and television correspondent Alexander Sladkov complains that communication at the front has been thrown back to the level of 2022 – a phase marked by chaos and poorly led units. Andrei Medvedev, deputy head of the Moscow City Duma, speaks on Telegram of “hellish chaos” because planned operations had failed without functioning communication.
Several Russian channels also openly admit that there is currently no real alternative to Starlink. Gazprom’s own satellite systems, such as those of Gazprom, are too slow and technically inadequate. Russia is examining ways to circumvent the barriers or make greater use of Chinese satellites, but this “will take time,” as the channel “Colonelcassad” writes. Individual voices, such as Putin’s favorite propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, even go so far as to suggest attacks on Starlink satellites or production facilities – which underlines the seriousness of the situation.
Starlink is based on thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit and enables fast, relatively secure internet independent of traditional infrastructure. This is exactly what makes the system so valuable for war. Both sides used it for command, coordination, fire control and, most importantly, drone operations. Conventional mobile networks are considered insecure and easy to locate on the front lines.
Ukraine has been using Starlink since 2022. Initially, SpaceX provided around 1,000 terminals, but according to the DPA news agency, the Ukrainian military is now said to have more than 40,000 devices. Russia, however, used Starlink without official permission. From 2023 onwards, so-called “gray Starlinks” appeared among Russian troops and were smuggled into Russia via third countries.
In recent weeks, Starlink has given Russia a noticeable tactical advantage: drone attacks on Ukrainian supply routes and positions could be controlled over large distances, including live transmission of the impacts. This partially compensated for the limited capabilities of the Russian Air Force due to Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses.
Advantage for Ukraine – with side effects
Ukrainian authorities are now talking about a breakthrough. Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov says Russian terminals are blocked, while the unlocked Ukrainian devices continue to work. The Ukrainian Stratcom Center reports interrupted Russian offensive operations and massive disruptions in command and coordination.
The Ukrainian drone expert Serhii Beskrestnow even believes in a “catastrophe” for the enemy, as storm attacks have been stopped in many places. The pro-Ukrainian partisan group Atesh also claims that communications failures led to fatal fire on its own Russian units – a claim that cannot be independently verified.
However, the changeover has not been entirely without problems for Ukraine either. Unregistered Ukrainian terminals were also temporarily shut down. However, registration is ongoing, emphasizes Fedorow; the “white lists” would be updated daily.
There is no quick replacement for Starlink in sight. The dense, powerful satellite network is considered unique and cannot be replicated in the short term. Although Russia can continue the war – for example with drones controlled via fiber optics at the front, coordination will become more difficult and losses are likely to increase, at least in the meantime.
For Ukraine, on the other hand, the Starlink ban represents one of the greatest short-term strategic advantages for Russia in a long time – especially in view of the coming months of intense fighting. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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