“The enemy no longer has problems, the enemy has a disaster.” One decision by Elon Musk paralyzed Putin's army. She was left with paper maps and chaos
Elon Musk's recent decision to turn off Starlink terminals used by the Russian military in Ukraine hit the Kremlin forces along the entire approximately 1,000 km long front line. According to reports from Ukrainian mainstream media and war bloggers published on Thursday, February 5, Russian commanders were virtually deprived of communications, and many combat units lost the ability to conduct effective attacks.
Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, a renowned Ukrainian expert in electronic warfare, wrote on his private Telegram channel on Wednesday evening that almost all Russian frontline units that relied on the US Starlink satellite system for digital communications are no longer able to transmit data over a secure internet.
In turn, Russian sources reported that some formations were forced to return to paper maps and to transfer data using couriers carrying storage media between units.
The long-term consequences of this decision are only just beginning to become apparent.
In late January, Beskrestnov — a private sector expert who was recently appointed chief technical advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense — sounded the alarm about the Russians' new use of Starlink receivers. These terminals were installed in kamikaze drones used to attack Ukrainian homes and businesses, allowing pilots to remotely control the machines in real time with virtually no risk of signal interference.
A thermal power plant that was destroyed during recent Russian missile and drone attacks in Kiev, Ukraine, February 4, 2026.Stringer / PAP
In one of the fastest reactions from a Western company supporting the Ukrainian military during the entire Russia-Ukraine war, Elon Musk agreed with Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov to introduce an additional layer of security through Starlink in the form of a “white list”. This meant that only registered, verified and authorized terminals could operate on the territory of Ukraine. Starlink engineers implemented it in less than 48 hours. software and hardware changes that disabled all black and gray market terminals operating in Ukraine, Musk announced on February 1.
In his post on the X platform, Fedorov praised Musk for “real results”, calling the South African-born entrepreneur “a true defender of freedom and a true friend of the Ukrainian people.”
Beskrestnov's account, confirming the mass disabling of Starlink terminals used by Russian troops in Ukraine, was one of the first, most credible and unambiguous evidence from the front line that the changes ordered by Musk actually work and bring the expected effect.
The enemy no longer has problems at the front. The enemy has a disaster. The entire command system of the Russian troops collapsed. In many areas, assault operations have been suspended
Beskrestnow said.
A headless army
The Ukrainian news agency UNIAN, citing its own sources, confirmed on Thursday that Russian offensive operations in some sectors have noticeably slowed down or even stopped. The message included the following: “the command and control system of the Russian troops has de facto collapsed, and the assaults have been suspended in many areas. Meanwhile, the Swamp Troops [pogardliwe określenie rosyjskich sił zbrojnych] they are pouring venom against Musk online. But that won't help them anymore“.
In its morning situation report on Thursday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported a reduction in the intensity of fighting along the entire front line, although it noted that attacks were still taking place, especially in the areas of Hulaipola in the south and Pokrovsk in the east.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare to launch a GARA drone at an undisclosed location near the front line in Donetsk Oblast, January 23, 2026.EPA/OLEG MOVCHANIUK / PAP
However, the number of Russian glide bombs dropped on Wednesday (233 pieces) remained at a level similar to the pace of airstrikes in previous weeks, according to military data.
A connection that cannot be replaced
Communication networks based on the Starlink system and the SpaceX satellite constellation are intensively used by both the Russian and Ukrainian armies, especially by land forces operating on the front line, where the power grid and civilian mobile telephony often do not function.
In forward positions, Starlink – which usually offers fast and stable Internet – is sometimes the only way for the commander to update maps, track the positions of his own units, coordinate fire and analyze enemy movements. The system is also widely used by both sides as a navigation tool for long-range drones.
A Ukrainian soldier next to the antenna of the Starlink broadband system in Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 9, 2023.Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / AFP
The Ukrainian Armed Forces use both Starlink terminals officially purchased by the Ukrainian state or Western allies, as well as devices from the gray market, often purchased for specific units thanks to the support of private donors. It is estimated that the Ukrainian army constantly uses at least 50 thousand terminalsand in total, since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, it could have used up to 200,000. such devices.
“I confirm – Starlink has been disabled”
The sale of Starlink in Russia is prohibited, and theoretically, terminals in Russian hands should not operate either on Russian territory or in the occupied areas of Ukraine. However, the Kremlin circumvented the ban by purchasing equipment on the black market or in third countries and then smuggling it to Ukraine.
Independent Russian news agency Astra confirmed on Wednesday evening that Starlink terminals used by the Russian military stopped working throughout the armed forces. Telegram channels of Russian units monitored by Kyiv Post reported that some commanders – deprived of digital communications – were returning to paper documents and sending messengers with data carriers, although these reports could not be independently confirmed.
Pro-Russian blogger “Belaruski Silovik”, followed by approximately 450,000 people. people and claiming to be a retired officer of the Russian special forces, wrote on Wednesday: “I confirm – Starlink has been disabled. It has already happened once, but then only for a short time. Now we will see how long it will last, but considering SpaceX's cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, it may be for a long time. Although there are also losses on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Popular Russian war blogger “Dwa Majora”, whose channel is run by propagandist siblings Dmitry and Yekaterina Korzin, reported: “We are receiving reports that Starlink terminals have been disabled across the entire front. The enemy [Siły Zbrojne Ukrainy] also reports similar problems on his channels.
The gray market was hit the hardest
Failures of gray market Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian entities have been reported en masse. These problems most often affected units of the National Guard, Territorial Defense and civilian volunteer groups, which rely more on equipment financed by private donors. Regular army brigades and special units usually have priority access to equipment purchased by the state.
Beskrestnov said on Thursday that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense are aware that the actions against Russian Starlink terminals also resulted in the shutdown of some devices used by their “own” units.
Users of inactive terminals should send registration data via a secure channel to his office, which – in cooperation with Starlink technicians – will update access codes and restore internet connectivity to frontline units.
Brothers from all units, I ask you to send as soon as possible the data regarding the private and voluntary Starlinks you use through the Delta system [ogólnoukraińskiej, bezpiecznej sieci wymiany danych]. I give you my word that this information is only needed to create a register of terminals operating in the country. No one will later take your Starlinks or give them to other units
— Beskrestnow wrote in Thursday's appeal.
“We are ready to add faulty terminals to the “white list” at any time.so we are very much looking forward to your information. We understand that for military and civilians this may seem like unnecessary bureaucracy and inconvenience, but it is the only way to protect the country from the threat of Russian drones controlled by Starlink. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by registering, but we have no other choice. The most important thing for us is the safety of the civilian population and we count on your understanding, he emphasized.
