Ukrainian Front-Line Troops Face Connection Issues with Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet Service Amidst Increased Russian Use
Frontline Ukrainian troops have reported experiencing connectivity problems with the vital Starlink internet service, owned by Elon Musk and used to operate Kyiv’s fleet of attack drones. Simultaneously, these troops have observed an uptick in Russian utilization of the satellite internet service, despite it being prohibited by US sanctions.
Throughout numerous interviews along the front lines, Ukrainian soldiers have shared their concerns regarding deteriorating connection speeds and other connectivity issues. These complaints coincide with increased Ukrainian sightings of Russian usage of the Starlink service, run by Musk’s SpaceX, and social media posts from Russian crowdfunders claiming to have successfully bypassed sanctions on Russian use of the devices.
The root cause behind these reports of worsening service in Ukraine remains unclear, with neither Starlink, SpaceX, nor Musk commenting on the matter. However, troops and analysts suggest there could be more Starlinks in contested areas than previously, serving both Ukrainian and Russian forces. This increased presence might contribute to connection speed issues for Ukrainian troops.
The Starlink internet service has significantly benefited Ukraine’s smaller military since the 2022 invasion, enabling its forces to exchange real-time drone feeds between units and communicate in areas where combat has disrupted cellphone service.
Communications Operator ‘Misha,’ based in the Zaporizhzhia area, shared his unit’s experiences with News Finder. According to Misha, the connection problems have emerged within the past three weeks. “We started noticing a bad quality connection,” he stated. “It breaks up all the time and needs to be rebooted for it to start working properly again. But soon, the speed starts to decrease, and the connection breaks up once more. It brings rather unpleasant complications” for their work.
Adverse weather could potentially be a contributing factor, but multiple Ukrainian units across the front lines have reported similar issues. Another drone operator in the Zaporizhzhia area, Commander Anton from the 65th Mechanised Brigade, also shared his unit’s challenges. “Before New Year, the speed was much higher,” he said. “Now it has decreased by half.”
Commander Anton also mentioned that he had witnessed Russian purchases of Starlinks through neutral countries and their use on the Zaporizhzhia front line. He explained, “The same number of Starlink satellites is now serving twice as many units, so of course, the speed dropped down.”
Multiple Ukrainian units across the front lines have reported experiencing speed problems with Starlink and observed Russian use but declined to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
Ukrainian officials first raised concerns about Russian Starlink usage in early February, and discussions with SpaceX and Musk to restrict Moscow’s access to the units are ongoing. However, there is a need to keep Musk on board due to his unpredictable business nature.
Oleg Kutkov, a Kyiv-based internet analyst, highlighted the challenge of identifying the actual owner of an account and the possibility that terminals purchased through third countries could complicate efforts to restrict Russian access. He stated, “The problem is to identify the actual owner of the account. It might be that in one location there are two terminals, both bought from Poland, and one is working for the Ukrainian side and one for the Russian side. And SpaceX just doesn’t know who they should block.”
In response to these concerns, Ukraine has sought to impose new legal conditions on satellite communications like Starlink terminals, creating a “whitelist” of registered devices authorized for use by Kyiv. SpaceX has consulted the Pentagon on how to handle the challenge of granting access to Ukrainian forces across all Ukrainian territory while denying service to Russian forces in front-line areas.
The delicate diplomacy surrounding these discussions has been ongoing, with Ukrainian officials recently communicating with both SpaceX representatives and US officials about the importance of implementing the whitelist system.
Despite these efforts, Ukrainian officials remain concerned about potential hijacking or hacking of their communications by Russian forces. Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service claimed last year that Russian military hackers were attempting to steal battlefield communications sent from Ukrainian soldiers’ mobile devices to Starlink terminals.
Ukrainian officials have not commented for this article, and a Pentagon spokesman referred questions to the Ukrainian government, stating, “While we’re aware of the reporting on this issue, and we’d expect Russia may attempt to leverage any technology that might give them an operational advantage against Ukraine, we have no additional details or information to provide.”
In February 2023, Musk responded to Ukrainian claims of Russian Starlink use by stating that his company did not do business with the Russian government and that the system would not work in Russia. However, it remains unclear if the technology might function in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Starlink has stated that if they obtain knowledge that a terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorized party, they investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed. In recent months, Russian social media channels have been increasingly open about Starlink purchases.
Ukrainian units have posted footage of multiple drone strikes against Russian trenches where Starlink terminals have been spotted. News Finder also obtained a video of a Russian drone feed from the front lines, in which the unit attacks a Ukrainian vehicle, suggesting Moscow has sought to replicate the success of Kyiv’s fleet of cheap, single-use attack drones.
Democrats on the US Congressional Oversight Committee have written to Starlink demanding an urgent briefing on Russian use of the devices, expressing their “grave concern” that Moscow is using the terminals in occupied Ukraine, in contravention of US sanctions.
