Starlink blockade for Russians will slow down strikes on Ukraine's logistics - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
The Institute for the Study of War reports that blocking Starlink terminals for Russians will affect their attempts to strike Ukrainian logistics. SpaceX blocked the terminals at the request of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine after they were found on Russian drones.
Russian strikes on Ukrainian logistics will slow down due to the blocking of Starlink terminals in the occupied territories of Ukraine. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Institute for the Study of War.
Details
According to the Institute's analysts, efforts to block Starlink terminals for the occupiers will likely affect Russian attempts to strike Ukrainian logistics and gain air superiority on the battlefield.
It is worth recalling that at the end of January 2026, Ukrainian specialists discovered a Starlink satellite terminal on board a downed Russian BM-35 one-way attack drone. These drones were subsequently used to strike Ukrainian trains, as well as transport along the E-50 Pokrovsk - Pavlohrad highway in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The strikes resulted in deaths and injuries, mostly civilians.
But SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, reacted to this: at the request of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the terminals used by the Russians began to be blocked.
According to the commander of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine's unmanned systems, Russian troops have accumulated a significant number of Starlinks. These terminals provided them with stable communication between units.
In addition, the Russians began to integrate Starlink for drone control. But efforts to block Russian terminals will deprive the enemy of the ability to conduct reconnaissance and strike missions, maintain communication between groups, and complicate offensive operations, the Institute for the Study of War said.
Recall
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported: Starlink terminals used by Russian troops in the occupied territories have already been blocked.
At the same time, Ukraine launched the registration of Starlink terminals through a "whitelist" in response to their use by Russians.
Later, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine explained the procedure for Starlink verification through the SpaceX "whitelist".