Russian troops on front lines lose access to Starlink internet terminals, Ukraine says

Russia has lost access to the Starlink internet terminals its troops had exploited on the battlefield, Ukraine said Thursday, as Kyiv and SpaceX coordinate to disrupt Moscow’s operations on the front line.

Russia has reportedly deployed thousands of Starlink satellite terminals in Ukraine, creating mobile communication networks that are difficult for Kyiv to disrupt. Ukrainian forces also use SpaceX’s Starlink technology, making a blanket blackout of internet access impossible.

Ukraine has also recovered Russian long-range strike drones with Starlink terminals attached.

Last week, Ukrainian officials said they were working with SpaceX to “white list” Ukraine’s terminals so the company could surgically deactivate only Russian units.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday that he had begun to deactivate all unauthorized Starlink terminals used by the Russian military.

“Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have worked,” Mr. Musk posted on X

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Thursday that military and SpaceX officials are working to verify Ukraine’s Starlink terminals.

“We continue to verify Starlink terminals. The first stage of terminals that were included in the ‘white list’ is already working,” Mr. Fedorov posted on Telegram. “Our team, together with our partners, is working on all cases promptly. I am grateful to the military and commanders who promptly verified their terminals. The continuity and stability of communication is critically important for the frontline.”

Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces on the front line felt the impact of the Starlink shutdown almost immediately.

“For the enemy at the front, this is not just a problem — it’s a catastrophe. Command and control have completely collapsed. Assault operations have been halted in many areas,” Federov adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov posted on social media.

He added that the operation is ongoing and that some Ukrainian Starlink terminals were affected by the shutdown because they were not officially registered.

The Kremlin has not commented on the apparent shutdown, but reports from Russian social media accounts indicate that frontline troops faced significant issues with internet connectivity on Thursday.