Ukraine war: Russian military can disrupt Starlink more and more extensively
The Starlink satellite internet plays a central role in Ukraine's warfare. Recently, Russian attacks on it have been increasingly successful.
(Image: Oleh Dubyna/Shutterstock.com)
As part of the latest offensive in the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russian troops are increasingly succeeding in severely disrupting the Starlink satellite internet. This was reported by the New York Times, citing several Ukrainian soldiers and the Digital Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. While the service provided by US company SpaceX has been remarkably stable to date, the Russian military is now becoming increasingly successful in cutting Ukraine off from this important means of communication. We can only speculate as to how exactly. Fedorov is still in constant communication with SpaceX and is convinced that availability can soon be improved again.
"Everything has become more complicated"
As the US newspaper has summarized, the extensive interruptions on the front section took place one day before the latest Russian offensive began there. This has become a problem for the drone forces in particular, which rely heavily on Starlink for communication. The satellite internet did not fail completely, but the connections were extremely slow. In some cases, the soldiers had to switch to messenger services in order to at least exchange text messages. However, these messages were also slowed down. In the meantime, some adjustments have probably been made, but the disruptions would make everything more complicated and time-consuming.
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It is unclear what exactly is behind the Russian jamming measures. According to a US expert on electronic warfare, attacks with particularly strong radio signals that interrupt the connections to the satellites are conceivable. This would typically require large antennas. According to the report, it is also possible that the Russian military could use drones to disrupt the GPS receivers in the Starlink antennas. They would then no longer be able to align themselves with the internet satellites with the necessary precision. It is not clear from the report what countermeasures the Ukrainian government hopes will improve the situation. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia has recently only managed to make small gains in the offensive.
The difficulties once again underline the problems that Ukraine's great dependence on Starlink can cause. However, there are few comparable alternatives, Fedorov assured. Starlink was launched in Ukraine immediately after Russia's extensive invasion in spring 2022. After the initial enthusiasm, Elon Musk has become increasingly critical of the role that the technology also plays in the military. Quotes from Walter Isaacson's biography of Elon Musk suggest that Musk was unaware of the strategic importance of Starlink for a very long time. A level of power like that of the billionaire is unprecedented in the history of the United States.
(mho)
