Starlink outages crippled Russian troop coordination, Ukraine says

Communication issues have disrupted the command of Russian army units across several frontlines after the shutdown of Starlink terminals.

According to a statement by the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Russian units faced major difficulties in managing their forces on the battlefield after losing access to the satellite network, per Caliber.Az.

The disruption has particularly affected the use of drones to support small assault teams.

Without stable communication, the ability to coordinate actions in real time—previously a key element of their offensive tactics—has disappeared. The report notes that the combination of the satellite outage and challenging weather conditions has effectively paralysed the enemy’s established operational schemes.

Small units operating under drone cover have lost continuous oversight and guidance. As a result, the effectiveness of these units has sharply declined, with operations becoming fragmented and uncoordinated.

In early February 2026, Ukrainian authorities, in coordination with SpaceX, introduced a new verification and access control system for Starlink satellite communications inside Ukraine’s territory. Under this system, only authorized Starlink terminals registered on a Ukrainian “white list” are allowed to connect to the network, while all other devices are automatically deactivated or blocked.

According to official Ukrainian statements and military sources, this move was designed to cut off unauthorised use of Starlink by Russian forces, who had been relying on captured, smuggled or otherwise illicit Starlink terminals for secure command-and-control, battlefield communication, and drone guidance.

By Khagan Isayev