- Category
- Latest news
Starlink Shutdown Forces Russian Artillery to Operate Blind as Comms Falter
- Authors
![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
Russian artillery operations in Ukraine have been hindered by a loss of reliable communications after SpaceX blocked Russian forces’ unauthorized access to Starlink terminals.
The cutoff disrupted links used to request, coordinate, and adjust fire missions, according to Forbes on February 25.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Forbes said Russian doctrine has long relied on massed artillery, and that modern gunnery depends on resilient communications between forward observers, drone operators, maneuver units, and command posts.
The outlet added that the Starlink cutoff has degraded the flow of information to higher headquarters in Russia’s centralized command system, increasing the risk that orders are issued without an accurate picture of conditions at the front.
The effects of degraded communications were reflected in a recent social media post cited by Forbes from a Russian artilleryman describing a widening disconnect between higher headquarters and frontline units.
The artilleryman said his D-30 battery was ordered to move forward because it did not meet a prescribed “average distance” from the front line, even though its current position was supporting missions.
His unit went to look for new positions to set up their guns, but every suitable spot was either already held by Ukrainian troops or too exposed to use safely.
In his view, the order to move forward wasn’t based on what was actually happening on the ground, but on a headquarters “rule” or statistic—like maintaining an “average distance” from the front, rather than practical battlefield conditions.
-829cae5d50d81c8c61e60320e54c5f0b.jpg)
Ukraine has said Starlink terminals used by Russian forces in Ukraine were deactivated after Kyiv worked with SpaceX to restrict access to authorized devices.
This move, Ukrainian officials said, complicated Russian unit coordination and drone operations.
Earlier, it was reported that tightened controls on unauthorized Starlink terminals used by Russian forces left some units more exposed to Ukrainian strikes by weakening their battlefield connectivity.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")