“This is what’s killing us”
Russians fight more deadly – thanks to illegal Starlink terminals
October 13, 2024, 12:34 p.m
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So far, tens of thousands of Starlink antennas have primarily helped the numerically inferior Ukrainian military. But according to the Washington Post, this advantage is now over. Accordingly, the Russian army is using more and more illegally imported Starlink terminals – with fatal success.
Russian forces in Ukraine have become more lethal and agile with the help of illegally imported Starlink terminals. This is reported by the “Washington Post” citing six Ukrainian soldiers and officers from various units in the embattled Donetsk region. According to this, Russia’s army is now using Elon Musk’s satellite communication system to better coordinate its attacks, fly more drone missions and fire at Ukrainian troops more precisely.
So far, tens of thousands of Starlink antennas have helped primarily the Ukrainian military on the battlefield. Access to reliable, strong internet gave him fast, precise attacks and an advantage over the numerically superior Russians. On the other hand, they had to rely mainly on radios, which led to comparatively slow reactions.
However, as Ukrainian soldiers report to the Washington Post, Russia has now closed this technological gap and improved the number and precision of attacks. The armed forces are now using Starlink in a similar way to the Ukrainians. “They simply overwhelmed us,” said an officer from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, which had defended the Wuhledar area since 2022 and was recently forced to withdraw. He called Russia’s use of Starlink one of the key factors that, along with staffing and weapons shortages, hastened the city’s fall this month.
Ukrainian troops flying reconnaissance drones near Novohrodivka, southeast of the strategic Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, also described seeing Starlink terminals in Russian lines since last month: “Before, the Russians were able to carry out some of their movements, maneuvers, artillery and infantry “Don’t control it,” said a drone platoon commander from the 93rd Mechanized Brigade. Intercepted Russian radio messages previously showed that soldiers often gave commanders incomplete or incorrect information. According to the Ukrainian, this has changed due to observations of enemy tactics.
According to Ukrainians, Russian use of Starlink is not the only factor that helped Moscow make its way towards Pokrovsk. However, he clearly played a role, a battalion commander in the 47th Battalion told The Washington Post, criticizing what he said was an inadequate response to prevent Russian use of Starlink. “This is something that is killing us.”
Black market for Starlink is flourishing
The export of Starlink terminals to Russia – like many other US electronic devices – is actually prohibited. Nevertheless, there appears to be a thriving black market for the devices, fueled by high demand from military and private buyers. As the Washington Post writes, most of the terminals are sold via Telegram and delivered to the front from Moscow. A terminal and connection fees are available for just over $1,000. In Telegram chats on customer support, users reported that it was easy to purchase and register Starlink kits abroad. Most would be purchased in Europe and transported via the United Arab Emirates.
A person familiar with Starlink told the Washington Post that SpaceX, the operator, is technically capable of identifying the location of active terminals. However, it can be difficult to identify users at the “front edge of the combat zone” where Ukrainian and Russian troops operate. Stacie Pettyjohn from the Center for a New American Security sounds similar. From their point of view, the US’s efforts to restrict Russia’s use of Starlink do not appear to be “very effective” – also because of the shifting front lines. “Ukrainian troops are now in Russia. Where exactly are the front lines?” said Pettyjohn. “If you draw a line where it works and where it doesn’t, you essentially put the front lines where they are and prevent the Ukrainians from going on the offensive.”
The frustration with Elon Musk, who is behind Starlink, is correspondingly great in Ukraine. Some of the soldiers criticized Musk by name, saying his company had not done enough to crack down on illegal use. They also doubted that he even wanted to solve the problem. Musk is known for his pro-Russian stance. His company SpaceX initially provided Ukraine with a free Starlink connection after the Russian invasion in 2022, but then threatened to discontinue the service, citing the high costs. Only under pressure from the public did Musk finally give in. Musk also rejected Kiev’s request to allow Starlink to be used for naval drones in a planned attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in 2022.