Illicit Starlink terminals helped Russia capture Vuhledar — WP
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The Russians illegally use Starlink terminals of the American company SpaceX. This technology powers the enemy to advance on the battlefield in Ukraine.
This was published by The Washington Post.
Russians use Starlink
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian army had one major advantage over the Russians — access to the Internet through Starlink terminals. But now the Russian military has gained access as well.
The report states that illegal terminals allow Russia to use satellite internet to improve coordination during assaults. This enables them to conduct more drone sorties and adjust artillery fire against Ukrainian troops.
Starlink is known to be subject to a ban on the supply of US electronics to Russia, but at the same time the black market supply is booming. As a result, the Russians have closed the technological gap, made their forces more cohesive, and increased the number and accuracy of their attacks.
The role of Starlink terminals in the capture of Vuhledar
According to an officer of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, that has been defending the Vuhledar area since 2022, Russia's use of Starlink has become one of the important factors in the occupation of the city.
Only in the past few months has their impact become significantly more noticeable, as the Russians use it to coordinate attacks during the offensive, the newspaper article reports.
Earlier, the Pentagon stated that the US and Ukrainian governments cooperate with SpaceX to prevent the illicit use of terminals by Russians in the temporarily occupied territories. Starlink was supposedly meant to be deactivated if it was being used by a "sanctioned party".
As a reminder, around September 2024, Starlink terminals began to appear more often at Russian positions.
Previously, we reported that Musk does not invest a single penny to provide the Armed Forces with satellite Internet. The operation of his Starlink complexes is provided only by Poland.
