“We were completely blind”
Ukraine complains about Starlink failure at the start of the Kharkiv offensive
May 17, 2024, 9:52 p.m
Ukrainian units use the Starlink communications service to control their drones. But when the Russian offensive began in the Kharkiv region, the system suddenly failed across the board. A big disadvantage for the defenders.
At the beginning of the Russian offensive in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, all Starlink devices of a Ukrainian military unit stationed there failed, according to a media report. As the Washington Post reported, citing members of the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade, the disturbances occurred on May 10, when Moscow’s units entered the border region. According to the sources, the failure of the satellite communication system is said to have facilitated the rapid territorial gains of the Russian troops.
“We were completely blindsided at a certain point,” a commander of a drone unit from the 125th Brigade told the US newspaper. “That was the biggest problem, we couldn’t see how they moved, we could only work by radio or by phones that were still working.” The connection to the drones “simply disappeared.” According to the report, the unit regularly used reconnaissance drones in the previous days to monitor the deployment of Russian troops.
Russians also use Starlink
According to the Washington Post, Russian electronic warfare systems are responsible for the Starlink jamming. This is the first widespread failure of the satellite communications system in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in spring 2022.
In recent days, Moscow’s armed forces have penetrated up to ten kilometers deep into the Kharkiv region. According to Ukrainian information, the front has now been stabilized. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said today that he still expects “tough fighting.”
Starlink is operated by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX and is an important means of communication in Ukraine. The government in Kiev, the army, aid organizations and civilians rely on the system. The service is also used by the Ukrainian armed forces to control drones and correct artillery fire.
In the past, Ukrainian military officials have repeatedly complained about communication failures. In early 2023, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said that Starlink was taking steps to prevent Ukraine from using the system to control drones. As justification, she added that the network was “never intended to be used as a weapon.” Russian troops are now also using Starlink devices in the occupied territories in Ukraine.