Starlink shutdown on Ukraine’s frontlines: expert breaks down impact

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“If we are deprived of Starlink communication, it would be a dangerous situation, but I wouldn’t say it’s fatal. We have already noticed that various issues with Starlink began back in the fall of 2022. And we could even ‘thank’ Musk for that because the first failures of our drones happened when he turned off Starlink at inconvenient moments. Accordingly, certain efforts were made to diversify (i.e., change and expand options – ed.): the Germans provided us with satellite terminals, and the Swedes also supplied satellite communication terminals along with armored vehicles. So, over these two years, there has been enough time to diversify away from Starlink, and this work has been carried out,” the military expert commented.

Ivan Kyrychevskyi concluded that if Starlink is shut down, it would be painful and unpleasant, but not fatal—and it would not benefit Musk in any way.

• On December 16, 2024, the European Union signed contracts to launch work on IRIS2—a multi-orbit network of 290 satellites, which will serve as an alternative to Starlink.
• On December 30, the private joint-stock company Kyivstar announced the signing of an agreement with Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, to introduce satellite communication in Ukraine.