Day without Starlink on front line gave Russians "day off", while Ukrainian Armed Forces paid for it with their own blood – Butusov
Yurii Butusov, commander of a UAV company in the 23rd Assault Regiment of the National Guard’s 2nd Khartiia Corps, said that the Starlink (Starshield) slowdown effectively handed Russian troops a "day off", and Ukraine is paying for it with its own blood.
Butusov told The New York Times, Censor.NET reports.
Risk to Ukraine’s Armed Forces
According to Butusov, his troops were paralysed by the slow connection, effectively giving the Russian army a "day off".
"Unfortunately, that day without Starlink saved many lives and many trucks on the Russian side. For us, it comes at a heavy price. And much more blood. Our blood," he stressed.
What is known about the disruptions
The NYT writes that Ukrainian reports of severe restrictions on Starshield operations became one of the points of contention between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump. A week after the initial problems, troops say the situation has improved, but connectivity problems persist.
- According to Ukrainian officials, the initial restrictions caused drones travelling at about 64 km/h or faster to lose their connection. Connectivity has now improved, but drones still lose it when they exceed about 160 km/h.
Some models operate normally below this threshold. Others, including those used by a unit led by a commander named Oleh, must fly faster to hit their targets.
Oleh, whom the NYT identified only by his first name for security reasons, said that dozens of his unit’s attack drones suddenly lost contact with their pilots last week. According to him, many simply crashed, with losses exceeding $1 million. He then had to suspend almost all operations for nearly three days, including strikes on Russian command posts and fuel hubs.
