Ukrainian forces experienced a significant disruption to their Starlink satellite internet systems overnight, with services down for around two and a half hours, a senior commander confirmed. This interruption was part of a wider international outage affecting tens of thousands of users and was caused by an internal software failure at SpaceX. Starlink has been a crucial asset for Ukraine throughout the ongoing conflict, enabling resilient battlefield communications and drone operations resistant to espionage and jamming.
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Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, noted that combat missions during the outage had to be carried out without live video feeds, relying solely on strike drones for reconnaissance. He also highlighted the vulnerability inherent in depending heavily on one system and stressed the need to diversify communication methods. Similarly, Oleksandr Dmitriev, founder of a Ukrainian system aggregating frontline drone data, described the incident as a stark reminder that internet reliance poses serious risks for combat effectiveness.
Although Starlink does not operate within Russia, Ukrainian officials report that Russian forces also utilise the technology extensively on the frontlines. The outage underlines the broader strategic importance of reliable communications in the conflict and the need for backup or local systems that can operate independently of global networks.
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SpaceX responded promptly, apologising for the disruption via their official channels and assuring users that the issue had been resolved. Elon Musk personally apologised and pledged that the company would address the root cause to prevent future outages. This incident serves as a reminder of the crucial role satellite internet plays in modern warfare, as well as the vulnerabilities that come with it.
