February 15, 2026, 3:02 pm
On the modern battlefield, Comms are king and in Ukraine the demand for effective communication tools has been intense with drone warfare and a drive for faster and more responsive kill chains/webs even in the face of intense Electronic Warfare.
There are lots of things that make a good communication tool under those circumstances. One of them is arguably that your opponent not have access to a massive ‘off’ switch for them.
So today, let’s talk military communications in Ukraine and the impact of the sudden shutdown of Starlink terminals in Russian use.
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU
Reading and Sourcing (partial):
RUSI – Competitive Electronic Warfare in Modern Land Operations
https://static.rusi.org/competitive-electronic-warfare-in-land-operations_1.pdf
RUSI – Russian Comms in Ukraine: A World of Hertz (note – a view from very early in the war, March 2022, which I include for interesting insights into the first impressions from that time)
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/russian-comms-ukraine-world-hertz#:~:text=Or%20worse%2C%20are%20these%20new%20military%20radios,using%20a%20cheap%20Chinese%20handheld%20radio%20would
Reporting on mentioned fraud case against Russian General Arslanov
https://tass.com/politics/1117857
https://www.reuters.com/world/former-deputy-chief-russian-armys-general-staff-jailed-17-years-fraud-case-2025-07-07/
CSIS – Lessons from the Ukraine Conflict
https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2025-05/250501_Slusher_Ukraine_Conflict.pdf?VersionId=01UUwSkCxsWGAU5vOtwYQHmtq3F1.XKM
2022 Reporting on Starlink vs Russian EW
https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-pentagon-russian-jamming-attack-elon-musk-dave-tremper-2022-4
Reporting on Russian Starlink use:
The Washington Post: Illicit Starlink still helps Russian troops on the front line
Delay of Russia’s Starlink alternative:
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/01/23/russia-delays-launch-of-first-batch-of-starlink-rival-satellites-a91761
Reporting on the Starlink Shutdown:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/starlink-used-by-russian-forces-deactivated-battlefield-ukraine-says-2026-02-05/
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/05/pro-war-bloggers-report-starlink-outage-on-ukrainian-front-line-a91875
https://vpk.name/en/1099103_a-quick-result-is-visible-russian-military-restricted-access-to-starlink-at-kievs-request.html
https://bbcrussian.substack.com/p/starlink-shutdown-caused-chaos-in-the-russian-army
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4090806-russia-scrambles-to-restore-connectivity-as-starlink-restrictions-disrupt-battlefield-c2.html
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/02/11/ukraine-advances-in-zaporizhzhia-after-russian-troops-lose-starlink-access-nato-official-a91920
Gazprom Space Systems on the Yamal satellites
https://www.gazprom-spacesystems.ru/upload/iblock/b1f/b1facfa09ec9d0ec0339fa8e146250ad.pdf
https://kyivindependent.com/using-starlink-ruse-ukrainian-cyber-forces-trick-russian-soldiers-into-revealing-positions-donating-to-armed-forces/
European Constellations:
https://europeanspaceflight.com/eutelsat-to-take-out-almost-e1b-in-state-backed-debt-for-new-satellites/
PRC Constellations:
https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/guo-wang-chinas-answer-starlink
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/08/china-may-have-taken-an-early-lead-in-the-race-for-a-military-megaconstellation/
Russia orders block on WhatsApp
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygd10pg5lo
2004 report on British military deaths in Iraq and role of communication systems
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/18/iraq.military
Caveats & Comments:
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Opening Words
00:01:31 — What Am I Talking About?
00:02:07 — History and the Challenge
00:12:06 — the Russian & Ukrainian Requirements
00:26:47 — Outages and Impacts
00:38:35 — Adaptations & Lessons
00:52:08 — Channel Update
Content Creator – Perun
