Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claimed on Thursday that Russian Starlink satellite internet terminals were “blocked” inside Ukraine, thereby disrupting Russian military communications.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said SpaceX is working with Ukraine to update a “white list” of approved and verified Starlink terminals, while unapproved Russian systems are blocked.
“Starlink terminals added to the ‘whitelist’ are working. Russian terminals are already blocked,” Fedorov said in a statement on Thursday. “We continue to validate Starlink terminals. The first batch of ‘whitelisted’ terminals is already operational.”
An official at Ukraine’s military general staff claimed that “all Russian Starlink links have been cut off” along the front lines as of Thursday evening local time.
Under U.S. sanctions, Starlink cannot be sold to or used by Russia. But analysts and Ukrainian officials warn that Russia is increasingly looking for ways to use the system to its advantage. CNN previously reported on Russia’s practice of equipping its attack drones with Starlink systems to bypass Ukraine’s electronic defenses, which disable the drones by jamming their GPS and radio signals, and to attack deep into Ukraine.
Ukraine has also relied heavily on Starlink since the start of the war, using it to operate military communications, drones, and information systems for public institutions such as hospitals and schools.
Defense Minister Advisor Serhiy Beskhrestnov said: “The enemy on the front lines is facing not just a problem, but a catastrophe. All command and control of the armed forces has collapsed. Raid operations have been suspended in many areas.”
This comes after Elon Musk, the founder of Starlink owner SpaceX, said earlier this week that the company was taking steps to prevent Russia from using its satellite internet “unauthorizedly.” Musk reiterated Thursday that “it’s important to register your Starlink device if you’re in Ukraine.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not addressed claims about the Starlink disruption.
However, Russian military bloggers began commenting on the Starlink outage on Wednesday and Thursday, noting that Russia’s internet and frontline communication capabilities had been hit.
“Yes, it will have a certain impact on the availability of the internet in the field,” one pro-Kremlin military blogger, Boris Rozin, wrote in a Q&A-style post on Telegram. “Yes, there are no alternatives at all at the moment.” He also claimed that the Russian military was trying to circumvent the block and use other methods to bring high-speed internet to the field.
Another Russian military blog supporting airborne special forces sought to downplay the chaos, writing: “Starlink may have been shut down, but backup communications still exist. Radios are working and communications between positions are taking place.”
Parts of Starlink used by the Ukrainian side have also reportedly been cut off, but it is unclear how widespread the disruption will be as the government continues the whitelisting process.
“Due to the Starlink outage, my two combat positions have lost communication,” Tetyana Chornovor, one of the Ukrainian combat officers, posted on social media, adding that her unit had since installed an alternative communication system.
“It works for us,” the Ukrainian drone pilot said in a video posted on Telegram. “I immediately registered my Starlink device and everything is fine.”
CNN’s Ivana Kottasova, Daria Tarasova Markina and Sophie Tanno contributed reporting.
