“In fact, they [Russian units] have problems now. They are like blind kittens,” a Ukrainian General Staff commanders told POLITICO separately, also granted anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
On Friday, Russian military bloggers, who in the past have praised Musk for his anti-Ukrainian rhetoric, complained about the mass failure of terminals for the Starlink satellite service that began on the evening on Feb. 4 on the frontline in Ukraine.
“The Russian Armed Forces used gray Starlinks to organize communications at the front. The danger is that it was an easy way compared to doing something new, pulling an ever-breaking optical fiber, setting up ‘bridges,’ or even working en masse with digital stations to organize the transmission of small data packets,” Russian pro-war military Telegram channel Dva Mayora, said in a post on Thursday. “Gray” Starlink terminals are ones that are not authorized or verified.
“Now it’s either the old-fashioned way, or they’ll come up with something of their own urgently,” the bloggers added, blaming Musk for assisting the Ukrainian army.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, in coordination with SpaceX, launched verification of Starlink terminals to protect civilians from Russian drones, which have begun illegally using Starlink connections during massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid.
“This move is in direct response to Russian forces’ illicit use of Starlink terminals. Russian drones equipped with Starlink are difficult to intercept: They fly at low altitudes, are resistant to electronic warfare, and can be piloted in real time from long distances,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement sent to POLITICO.