Russian troops in Ukraine have lost access to Starlink internet terminals after Kyiv and SpaceX moved to block unauthorised Russian use, a disruption Ukrainian officials described as a major blow to Moscow’s battlefield operations.
Ukraine says Russian units had been using thousands of illicit Starlink connections since 2022. The scale of the outage could not be verified, but three Ukrainian sources said the disruption appeared significant.
Ukraine said last week it was working with Elon Musk's SpaceX to block the use of Starlink terminals used on Russian attack drones and was trying to compile a "white list" of all Ukraine's terminals so the Russian ones could be turned off.
"Starlinks included in the 'white list' are working - Russian terminals have already been blocked," Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Telegram, adding that the list was still being updated.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk said on Sunday that moves by SpaceX to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia "seemed to have worked."
A Russian military blog said that "Two Majors", had said there had been a big failure of Starlink terminals on the Russian side that started on Wednesday evening.
A Ukrainian military source said Russian units were switching to RS-30M satellite terminals.
“I am sure that the accuracy and number of hits are decreasing,” the source said.
Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to the defence minister, described the situation as a “catastrophe” for Russian troops. “All command of the troops has collapsed. Assault operations have been stopped in many areas,” he wrote on Telegram.
Another Ukrainian source on the eastern front said Russian forces faced “significant problems with communication” and that almost all Starlink links on their side were offline.
Ukraine relies on tens of thousands of Starlink units for communications and drones. Russia’s usage remains unclear, though estimates in early 2024 suggested the figure was in the thousands.
Kyiv recently found Starlink terminals on long-range drones used in Russian attacks, prompting its request for SpaceX assistance.
The United States and Iran have traded fresh strikes, with the U.S. hitting military sites and Iran launching missiles and drones at bases and ship...
A London court has handed down lengthy sentences to activists from campaign group Palestine Action, who raided an Israeli-owned arms company in the U...
Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, has lost her London social housing flat after a UK council seized it. ...
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 tril...
Iran said no final decision has been made on a proposed agreement with Washington, despite suggestions from U.S. President Donald Trump that a deal co...
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reaffirmed his country's close ties with Russia, sending a congratulatory message to President Vladimir Putin on Russia’s National Day and expressing full support for Moscow’s domestic and foreign policies, according to state news agency KCNA.
Russia has once again offered warm words to Tbilisi, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praising Georgia's efforts to safeguard its sovereignty and saying Moscow is ready to deepen ties.
The ambassadors of France, Germany and Britain have attended a meeting at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, raising questions about a possible ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv, or at least the resumption of peace talks.
Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing will attend a video conference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (12 June) to discuss global economic imbalances, marking a rare high-level engagement between China and G7 nations ahead of next week's summit in France.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
SpaceX has made history with the largest initial public offering ever in the United States, pricing its shares at $135 each and achieving a market valuation of $1.77 trillion.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
While France hosts next week’s Group of Seven summit, businesses in neighbouring Switzerland have already begun taking precautions, with many shops in Geneva boarded up ahead of a large anti-G7 demonstration expected on Sunday.
Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium has been reinstated after Alpine successfully challenged his post-race penalties through a Right of Review request with the FIA.
A London court has handed down lengthy sentences to activists from campaign group Palestine Action, who raided an Israeli-owned arms company in the UK.
Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Fatima Jabbe-Bio, has lost her London social housing flat after a UK council seized it.
SpaceX made a historic entrance into the Nasdaq on Friday, surging over 20% in its first day of trading and lifting its valuation to more than $2 trillion. Investors flocked to the world’s largest IPO, betting on Elon Musk’s sprawling empire spanning rockets, AI and beyond.
Ukraine will increase military wages and expand recruitment of foreign volunteers, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday, as the armed forces face a critical personnel shortage after more than four years of war with Russia.
Poland will receive a new $4 billion loan from the United States through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, strengthening defence ties between the two NATO allies as Warsaw continues a major military modernisation drive.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment