Artem Belenkov, chief of staff of the Nemesis regiment, which actively hunts for Russian equipment at night using bombers that the Russians call «Baba Yaga», spoke about his vision of the situation, whether Ukrainian defenders could be left without Starlink and what the threats would be.
Artem Belenkov, chief of staff of the Nemesis regiment, which actively hunts for Russian equipment at night using bombers that the Russians call «Baba Yaga», spoke about his vision of the situation, whether Ukrainian defenders could be left without Starlink and what the threats would be.
«According to the starlink, I think there is a significantly greater risk for the infantry and for the command and communication system between infantry units,» Artem Belenkov noted in the «Damn Questions» podcast from Ukrainska Pravda.
He explained that this type of troops relies heavily on the availability of Starlink, and accordingly, the ability to communicate between platoons, companies, battalions, and other groups.
«For bombers, it’s a risk, but a manageable risk,» added the Nemesis Regiment Chief of Staff. He also noted that the group already has alternatives to Starlink communications, which they are actively developing. In addition, he noted that other units are doing the same.
Therefore, according to Belenkov, the presence of Starlink does not mean direct dependence on this connection, but its absence will create certain limitations.
As an example, he cited the situation where, having a direct radio horizon, the military can work via direct radio communication. But in this case, they will not be able to lower the side by 5 meters and place a mine in a specific «hole» that was chosen for mining.
But, if we consider different situations, Artem Belenkov explains that in a platoon with three crews, the lack of Starlink communication can paralyze all work. In contrast, in a regiment-level unit, according to him, there are completely different components and logic of application. «Even if one of you fails, the other will fire in any way. There will always be a balance,» he adds.
Previously, dev.ua reported how Musk’s threats to turn off Starlink for Ukraine caused a diplomatic scandal in Ukraine .
As a reminder, in late February, Reuters reported that the US was threatening to shut down Starlink if Kyiv did not sign a minerals deal. This is critical, as Ukraine has been using Starlink for communications on the front lines and at infrastructure facilities since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ukraine is exploring the possibility of implementing alternatives to the Starlink satellite internet system. What alternatives exist are here .
