The Starlink Shutdown - Russian Military Communications, Corruption & Satellites in Ukraine

Original Description

On the modern battlefield, Comms are king and in Ukraine the demand for effective communication tools has been intense with drone warfare and a drive for faster and more responsive kill chains/webs even in the face of intense Electronic Warfare.

There are lots of things that make a good communication tool under those circumstances. One of them is arguably that your opponent not have access to a massive 'off' switch for them.

So today, let's talk military communications in Ukraine and the impact of the sudden shutdown of Starlink terminals in Russian use.

Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU

Reading and Sourcing (partial):

RUSI - Competitive Electronic Warfare in Modern Land Operations

https://static.rusi.org/competitive-electronic-warfare-in-land-operations_1.pdf

RUSI - Russian Comms in Ukraine: A World of Hertz (note - a view from very early in the war, March 2022, which I include for interesting insights into the first impressions from that time)

https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/russian-comms-ukraine-world-hertz#:~:text=Or%20worse%2C%20are%20these%20new%20military%20radios,using%20a%20cheap%20Chinese%20handheld%20radio%20would

Reporting on mentioned fraud case against Russian General Arslanov

https://tass.com/politics/1117857

https://www.reuters.com/world/former-deputy-chief-russian-armys-general-staff-jailed-17-years-fraud-case-2025-07-07/

CSIS - Lessons from the Ukraine Conflict

https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2025-05/250501_Slusher_Ukraine_Conflict.pdf?VersionId=01UUwSkCxsWGAU5vOtwYQHmtq3F1.XKM

2022 Reporting on Starlink vs Russian EW

https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-pentagon-russian-jamming-attack-elon-musk-dave-tremper-2022-4

Reporting on Russian Starlink use:

https://militarnyi.com/en/news/the-washington-post-illicit-starlink-still-helps-russian-troops-on-the-front-line/

Delay of Russia's Starlink alternative:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/01/23/russia-delays-launch-of-first-batch-of-starlink-rival-satellites-a91761

Reporting on the Starlink Shutdown:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/starlink-used-by-russian-forces-deactivated-battlefield-ukraine-says-2026-02-05/

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/05/pro-war-bloggers-report-starlink-outage-on-ukrainian-front-line-a91875

https://vpk.name/en/1099103_a-quick-result-is-visible-russian-military-restricted-access-to-starlink-at-kievs-request.html

https://bbcrussian.substack.com/p/starlink-shutdown-caused-chaos-in-the-russian-army

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4090806-russia-scrambles-to-restore-connectivity-as-starlink-restrictions-disrupt-battlefield-c2.html

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/11/ukraine-advances-in-zaporizhzhia-after-russian-troops-lose-starlink-access-nato-official-a91920

Gazprom Space Systems on the Yamal satellites

https://www.gazprom-spacesystems.ru/upload/iblock/b1f/b1facfa09ec9d0ec0339fa8e146250ad.pdf

https://kyivindependent.com/using-starlink-ruse-ukrainian-cyber-forces-trick-russian-soldiers-into-revealing-positions-donating-to-armed-forces/

European Constellations:

https://europeanspaceflight.com/eutelsat-to-take-out-almost-e1b-in-state-backed-debt-for-new-satellites/

PRC Constellations:

https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/guo-wang-chinas-answer-starlink

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/china-may-have-taken-an-early-lead-in-the-race-for-a-military-megaconstellation/

Russia orders block on WhatsApp

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygd10pg5lo

2004 report on British military deaths in Iraq and role of communication systems

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/18/iraq.military

Caveats & Comments:

All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.

Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.

Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 — Opening Words

00:01:31 — What Am I Talking About?

00:02:07 — History and the Challenge

00:12:06 — the Russian & Ukrainian Requirements

00:26:47 — Outages and Impacts

00:38:35 — Adaptations & Lessons

00:52:08 — Channel Update