"SpaceX began requiring verification of Starlink terminals on Feb. 4, blocking unverified Russian units from accessing its services. Almost immediately, Ukrainian eavesdroppers heard Russian soldiers complaining about the failure of "Kosmos" and "Sinka" - apparently code names for Starlink satellite internet and the messaging service Telegram."
""Damn it! Looks like they've switched off all the Starlinks," one Russian soldier exclaimed. "The connection is gone, completely gone. The images aren't being transmitted," another shouted. Dozens of the recordings were played for Axel Springer Global Reporter Network reporters in an underground listening post maintained by the Bureviy Brigade in northeastern Ukraine."
"In the days following the shutdown, Ukraine recaptured roughly 77 square miles in the country's southeast, according to calculations by the news agency Agence France-Presse based on data from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War."
SpaceX implemented verification requirements for Starlink terminals on February 4, blocking unverified Russian military units from accessing satellite internet services. This decision created significant communications disruptions for Russian forces who had become heavily dependent on Starlink technology for their occupation operations in Ukraine. Ukrainian reconnaissance units intercepted radio transmissions revealing Russian soldiers expressing frustration over lost connectivity to Starlink and Telegram services. The communications breakdown substantially weakened Russian military capabilities, particularly affecting artillery and mortar operations. Following the shutdown, Ukrainian forces capitalized on this vulnerability to recapture approximately 77 square miles of territory in southeastern Ukraine within days, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War.
#starlink-shutdown #russian-military-communications #ukraine-military-advantage #spacex-verification-requirements #satellite-internet-warfare
Read at Business Insider
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