Just before Russian troops crossed Ukraine's northern border this month, members of the Ukrainian 92nd Assault Brigade lost a vital resource. The Starlink satellite internet service, which soldiers use to communicate, gather intelligence and carry out drone attacks, crashed. This is reported by the New York Times.
Operated by SpaceX, Elon Musk's company, Starlink has been critical to the Ukrainian military since the earliest days of the war with Russia. Without full service, Ukrainian soldiers are unable to quickly communicate and share information about the surprise attack and are resorting to texting.
As Russian troops made gains near Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, they deployed more powerful electronic weapons and more sophisticated tools to degrade Starlink service, Ukrainian officials said. The advance poses a major threat to Ukraine, which often manages to outsmart the Russian military using front-line connectivity and other technologies, but is on the defensive against a renewed Russian offensive.
For the first time, Russian forces were able to cause large-scale disruptions to Starlink. If they continue to succeed, it could mark a tactical shift in the conflict, highlighting Ukraine's vulnerability and dependence on services provided by Elon Musk's company.
Starlink works by broadcasting an Internet connection from satellites orbiting the Earth. The signals are received on the ground by terminal dishes the size of a pizza box, which then distribute the connection like a Wi-Fi router to laptops, phones and other devices nearby. Starlink has been providing Ukraine with vital internet service since 2022, with soldiers relying on it to guide internet-connected drones that are used for surveillance and as weapons, among other tasks.
Ukraine's digital technology minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Russia's recent attacks on Starlink appear to be using new and more advanced technology. He said the service had previously withstood disruption on battlefields where there was widespread electronic warfare and radio jamming.
Fedorov stressed that the Ukrainian government is constantly testing new systems. The military has specialized maritime drone systems that have destroyed a number of Russian ships in the Black Sea.
We are losing the battle for electronic warfare, said the deputy commander of the 92nd Strike Drone Battalion "Achilles". He pointed out that today, before the Russian offensive near Hrakow, the Starlink simply crashed. According to him, network interruptions put whole units of the Ukrainian army at risk.
Russian forces have placed Starlink on a "target list" and have developed capabilities to counter the service.
Carry A. Bingen, a former US Department of Defense official and electronic warfare expert, said Starlink and other satellite communications could be disrupted by the use of high-power radio frequency to overcome communication links. Stealth attacks are usually carried out from a vehicle with a large radio tower attached to the top, she explained. This degrades Ukrainian forces from being able to communicate on the battlefield, Bingen added.
Explanations for Starlink outages in Ukraine over the past year vary. Experts say Russia has gotten better at jamming the signal between satellites and Starlink terminals on the ground, using powerful and precise jammers. Others have suggested that the service was disrupted by specialized electronic weapons mounted on drones that can confuse the GPS signals of Starlink, the global positioning system that is used to help locate satellites.
A sharp increase in Starlink usage can also degrade the service. In some cases, technical limitations designed to prevent Russian forces from using Starlink have harmed the service of Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines. In other cases, outages can be more random, such as earlier this month when SpaceX reported worldwide service issues due to solar storms.
During the conflict, Ukrainian forces tried various techniques to protect Starlink from attack, including placing the terminals in holes dug in the ground and placing metal mesh over them.
Starlink has given Elon Musk enormous leverage in the war because he controls where satellite service is available and can choose to cut off access. Starlink is not sold directly in Russia. But this year, Ukrainian officials publicly expressed concern that Russia was using Starlink terminals purchased from third-party suppliers.
Experts have warned that Ukraine is too dependent on one company for such a vital resource. Ukraine's dependence on Starlink is unlikely to decrease as few alternatives exist for such comprehensive and reliable service.