After Starlink was disabled for the Russian military, Ukraine recorded a sharp drop in Russian drones operating deep behind the lines; such strikes have now almost disappeared.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported a noticeable decline in Russian drone activity in rear areas following the blocking of Starlink satellite communications for Russia’s army. Senior communications officer of the 59th Separate Assault Brigade Taras Mishak said as much on Ukrainian television.
According to Mishak, Russian forces had actively used Starlink on “Molniya”-type drones. These aircraft penetrated dozens of kilometers into Ukrainian territory, at times nearly reaching Pavlohrad, and served as “motherships” and relays, releasing multiple FPV drones at once.
“Since the shutdown of Starlink for the enemy began, we are seeing significantly fewer hostile drones in our rear. Such strikes are now practically absent,” Mishak emphasized.
Ukrainian troops say the effect of the blockade has been systemic. In Russian Telegram channels, there’s been what Mishak called “whining”: units have lost communications, command-and-control has been disrupted, and in some sectors assault operations were suspended.
Effectively, the Russian army has been deprived of one of the key technological advantages it sought to use for strikes on Ukraine’s rear.
Blogger Roman Shrike notes a clear trend: there are fewer drones.
In late January, Ukrainian authorities confirmed that Russia had begun mass outfitting its drones with Starlink satellite terminals. The issue was then raised at the international level.
As a result, a decision was made to restrict the Russian military’s access to this technology—and frontline reports indicate the move has significantly hurt Russia’s capabilities.
