No connection: Blocking Starlink for the Russian military has changed the situation at the front in Ukraine

By Jan. 31, Ukraine had introduced emergency measures to counter Russian use of Starlink terminals. The first step was to impose speed-based restrictions, with signals blocked at speeds above 90 kph. On Feb. 2, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced a whitelist system, saying that all unregistered devices would be disconnected from the service.

Terminal verification is a fairly simple process. Military personnel submit identifying data through the DELTA battlefield management system, while civilians, companies, and organizations apply through Ukrainian public service centers and the state services portal.

Evidence that Russian forces were illegally using Starlink terminals emerged as early as 2024. The systems were acquired through parallel-import schemes, with accounts activated in the names of front people in third countries. Some illegally imported Starlink units even appeared in Russian government databases as being officially compliant with technical regulations. Over time, Elon Musk’s satellite internet became more deeply embedded in the Russian military and moved beyond basic communications support, paving the way for the use of so-called “Starlink flyers.”

How Starlink is used at the front

The Starlink system provides access to satellite internet and is therefore especially in demand on the front line, where organizing communications under the conditions of the current war is a serious challenge. It is thanks to Starlink that real-time feeds from reconnaissance drones on the front line are transmitted, allowing soldiers to adjust artillery fire and guide FPV drones. In short, Starlink is a key element in the so-called kill chain, the command sequence that makes it possible to find, identify, and strike enemy targets.

Reliable communications are the main condition necessary for situational awareness, particularly when operating in dispersed battle formations in areas where friendly and enemy positions are often intermingled. In the extended “gray zone,” the tactic of small-group infiltration works only if assault troops can be coordinated, supplied, and supported by fire, with forces literally guided between positions and receiving constant feedback.

This requires a stable internet connection and high data-transfer speeds, which is what SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit constellation provides. That is why the Russian armed forces tried to install Starlink terminals as close to the front as possible — and even to create mobile access points by mounting transmitters on horses.