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Russian forces are already feeling the Starlink crackdown in Ukraine. Their communications are down across multiple parts of the front, leaving them scrambling.

As Russians increasingly use Starlink to make their drones deadlier, Ukraine has begun working with Starlink’s parent company SpaceX to stop Russians from using the system. Initial restrictions have already kicked in this week, preventing many Russian units from using the terminals to communicate.

Defense Ministry adviser Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov on 5 February called it a “catastrophe,” for the Russians, writing: “Command and control of [enemy] troops has collapsed. Assault operations have stopped in many areas.” 

Several Ukrainian units at least partially confirmed his words to Euromaidan Press. Russian social media channels are full of angst over the communications takedown. 

“Since the evening of February 4, the enemy has encountered problems with Internet connectivity via the Starlink system almost along the entire front line,” an officer of Azov Corps’ 12th Brigade said, requesting not to be identified by name. 

“In most cases, their Starlink terminals simply refused to work, becoming bricks. And they still have not solved this issue in a comprehensive way.” 

Others were more measured. Valentyn Prokopchenko, a serviceman with the 13th Khartia Brigade said “We see a kind of erosion in the congruence of their actions, but nothing substantial as of now. There is probably some inertia on the tactical level.”

Kicking the Russians off Starlink should stop them from using it to augment their UAVs. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov specifically mentioned Russian drones when he announced that he’s working with SpaceX to deny access to anyone who’s not on a government “white list.” 

But the disruption of Russian command and control (also called C2), which uses Starlink, may be even more consequential. Both sides use the service for its convenience, speed, and jamming resistance. A sudden cut-off forces a unit to rely on other communication methods, which are more susceptible to electronic warfare. And if there is no backup in the area, they are cut off, period. 

“Probably the most tangible/disruptive effect for the Russians is on their tactical C2, rather than UAVs,” said Federico Borsari, a security fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis.

Multiple units and experts agree that the Russians are working on ways to overcome this challenge. Asked if Russian units are seeing the disruption, Rob Lee, a researcher who regularly visits the front line replied: “Yes but they’ll adapt.”

And one American military communications engineer said that Ukraine should take this as a lesson to reduce its own reliance on Starlink, in case SpaceX and its owner, Elon Musk, prove less than reliable. 

“This is the wake-up call the Ukrainian Army needs. because the shoe might be on the other foot soon enough,” said James, the engineer, who heads an Azov battalion’s fiber optics laboratory. “Elon could just as easily switch off Ukraine’s command and control.”

A backbone system

Starlink has been an integral part of both sides’ war effort in Ukraine because there’s “nothing else like it,” as one Ukrainian unmanned systems engineer, who asked not to be named, put it.

It is a very convenient, turnkey system, which works just about everywhere. While “not very reliable out of the box,” as the engineer described, Ukrainian forces tend to modify their  terminals to make them more robust for frontline usage. 

Starlink provides high-speed internet access that resists electronic jamming, due to the frequency of its signal and the fact that its signal points up at the satellites, while jamming works parallel to the ground. 

Starlink terminal. Illustrative file photo.

The service is not available inside Russian territory. But the Russians leverage shell companies in different countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, to get terminals, and use accounts registered outside Russia. 

“The Russians are indeed largely, just like us, dependent on satellite communications provided by Starlink,” said Anton Zemlyanyi, a senior analyst with the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center. 

“We are not only talking about communications and command and control of units, but also about the Russians using Starlink to control strike and reconnaissance drones.”

However, both the Russians and Ukrainians mostly use Starlink for communication, not guiding drones, multiple military insiders have told Euromaidan Press. 

Indeed, Flash mentioned that some Ukrainian units also faced disruptions as a result of the crackdowns.

How this hamstrings the Russians

Even so, the Russians are likely facing bigger problems, at least in the short term. 

“The enemy’s first reaction was almost panic,” the Azov 12th Brigade officer said. “UAV positions, which often use the Starlink system, have been particularly affected.” 

The officer added that the Russians are continuing to operate UAVs, however, and are working to resolve the issue. Zemlyanyi agreed that the Russians aren’t helpless in finding solutions, cautioning that it’s too early to call this a “catastrophe.” 

“Despite this, the Russians will have problems, and the problems are quite significant,” Zemlyanyi said.

In addition to Starlink terminals, Russians are also using other redundant communications systems, including mobile internet providers operating in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. 

They are also setting up Wi-Fi bridges, laying additional fiber-optic cable where possible, and trying other solutions. “Of course, this problem cannot be solved in one or two days,” the Azov officer said. 

According to Zemlyanyi, the radio communications, LTE mobile networks, Wi-Fi bridges and fiber optics that the Russians will have to fall back on are “even more vulnerable and unstable.” 

“The entire network infrastructure is exposed, fiber optic wires break, and cables can be damaged due to natural factors, artillery and drones.” 

A Ukrainian soldier use a Starlink device somewhere in Ukraine. Source: theukrainians.org

He added that due to changes in communication, the Russians will become less mobile, because it will take them longer to deploy additional communication systems. This will affect the pace of Russian assaults and their ease of infiltrating Ukrainian positions.

“This will directly affect the stability of the Ukrainian defense, and most importantly, the safety of our military,” Zemlyanyi concluded. “Depriving the Russians’ access to Starlink undoubtedly creates a systemic problem for the Russian military, which they will feel.”

Wake-up call for Ukraine

And yet, some are seeing danger in how easily these communications networks can be taken down. Starlink is, after all, a foreign company, whose owner has a fraught relationship with Ukraine. 

Musk has cut off Starlink access before, sabotaging an attack on occupied Crimea; mocked Ukraine’s stance on national sovereignty; and talked smack about its NATO prospects. His father even visited Moscow to praise Putin and spread propaganda, among other controversies. 

The US threatened to cut off Starlink in February 2025 if Ukraine didn’t sign a minerals deal.

James, the American engineer at Azov, said that Ukrainian forces rely on Starlink too frequently, even when it makes better sense to use other solutions. While the system is convenient and reliable, it’s easy to forget that its company is a major possible point of failure. 

“The solutions are incredibly simple and cheap,” he said. “But network connectivity is like plumbing. Nobody wants to think about it until everything goes to shit.”

Read also

• Russia used Starlink in strike drones that reached Kyiv. SpaceX’s response collapsed entire command systemic

• How Starlink made Russia’s drones deadlier—and harder to jam

• Can Starlink block Russian drones? Yes — but the devil’s in the details

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