Communications disruptions have significantly limited the military capabilities of the Russian occupiers to conduct combat operations in Ukraine. After blocking Starlink, the Russian Defense Forces managed to liberate about 200 square kilometers.
Communications disruptions have significantly limited the military capabilities of the Russian occupiers to conduct combat operations in Ukraine. After blocking Starlink, the Russian Defense Forces managed to liberate about 200 square kilometers.
Since early February, SpaceX has been verifying Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine to block illegal Russian devices. Almost immediately, Russian soldiers began complaining about communication disruptions, Politico reports.
«All we have left are radio stations, cables and pigeons,» declared one occupier.
The Ukrainian military was the first to use Starlink terminals in 2022, which gave them an advantage on the battlefield. The Russian army noticed this and also began to use SpaceX devices more and more.
The use of Russian terminals continued to grow throughout 2025, and their use was not limited to artillery or drone units. Russian soldiers even carried Starlink mini-terminals in their backpacks.
«We found Starlink terminals at almost every Russian position along the contact line. At one point, it seemed like the Russians had more devices than we did,» the Defense Forces say.
It is noted that in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian city of Kreminna since 2024 there was even a store where soldiers could buy Starlink terminals that were not registered in Ukraine.
Doug Madori, director of Internet analysis at the analytical company Kentik, reported that after the start of terminal verification, Starlink satellite Internet traffic in Ukraine decreased by 75%.
Earlier, Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov spoke about the results of blocking the Starlink satellite internet for the Russian army and the fight against its mesh networks. According to him, the occupiers were effectively deprived of communication — the number of their streams from the front line decreased by 11 times, and the interception of radio broadcasts increased significantly.
Now, analysts from the Bureva brigade say that Russian forces are looking for alternatives. They say that the Russians will be forced to rely much more on radio communications, which creates additional opportunities for interception.
The Russian Federation will probably try to switch to its own satellite terminals. But their speed and quality of communication are much lower. In addition, due to their size, these devices will be difficult to hide.
