"Russia's military is scrambling to find alternatives to Starlink satellite internet after access to the network was curtailed, disrupting a key communications system that its forces had been using illicitly on the battlefield. Ukraine said last week that Starlink terminals being used by Russian troops had been deactivated after talks between its defence minister and Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX operates the satellite network. Ukrainian officials said the move had already begun to affect Russian operations, including the use of drones."
"Moscow had come to rely on thousands of contraband Starlink terminals smuggled into Russia, often through central Asia, to keep units connected along the frontline. The system allowed Russian forces to coordinate movements and drone strikes in areas where military radios were unreliable or easily jammed. Russia has no homegrown alternative that comes close in terms of speed, coverage or ease of use."
"Musk said last week that efforts made to block Russian use of Starlink had had an effect. Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked, he wrote on X. The move was an early victory for Ukraine's new defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, given Musk's past reluctance to be drawn too deeply into the conflict and comments often seen as favourable to Moscow."
Starlink access for Russian troops was curtailed after verified-terminal restrictions deactivated devices believed to be in Russian hands. Thousands of contraband terminals smuggled into Russia had been keeping frontline units connected where radios were unreliable or jammed. The terminals enabled improved coordination of movements and drone strikes and even integration directly onto drones to enhance accuracy. SpaceX actions and a whitelist system were credited with disrupting unauthorised Russian use, with Elon Musk noting effects. The scale of battlefield impact remains uncertain, and the shutdown has generated anger among pro-war military bloggers embedded with frontline units.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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