Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ Russian warbloggers warn of an alarming development: Ukraine's long-range drone strikes into Russia are reportedly being guided by Starlink connections, which potentially provides drones with precise and unjammable navigation across the entire country. ⬇️

2/ While Starlink is normally a civilian network, Ukraine makes extensive use of it for military purposes, including on the front lines and in sea drones. Until recently, Starlink was blocked in Russia but not in Ukraine, which enabled the Russian military to use it as well.

3/ This changed in February 2026 when Starlink began whitelisting terminals in Ukraine, so that only the Ukrainians could use it. Ukraine also has access to a limited number (reportedly 3,000) of terminals which can access the separate military-oriented Starshield network.

4/ The Russians typically refer to Starlink and Starshield as the same thing, so it's not clear from the thread below which network is meant.

The Russian Telegram channel 'Informant' writes:

5/ "For a month or two, we've been closely monitoring the issue of Starlink coverage over the "mainland" of Russia, including after the introduction of Musk's "whitelists" for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

6/ "Unfortunately, after a number of confirmations (which will surface a little later on specialised channels), we can now state:

The enemy currently has no restrictions on the coverage areas of the Starlink satellite constellation over Russian territory.

7/ "To put it simply: SpaceX provides access to the Starlink system's coverage over Russian territory exclusively for military purposes and in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

8/ "In other words, de jure, the satellite constellation positions itself as exclusively for civilian use. De facto, it is used for military purposes against the Russian Federation with the direct participation and mediation of the American corporation "SpaceX."

9/ "Initially, there were some strange incidents, which we noted in connection with a number of issues that arose:

10/ "1. The [December 2025] attack on the Yeysk airfield. Yeysk is directly Russian, Russia without any reservations about "new territories" [in Ukraine] and the like. Quite within the borders of 1991.

https://x.com/clashreport/status/2003531305032757334

11/ "Various theories were put forward, from waiting for the Wi-Fi bridge and under-strangled LTE to "spurious" Starlink coverage (considering that the unrecognised territory is 50 km away + part of the coastal zone = +/- 30 km of the "authorised" coverage zone).

12/ "2. Objective control from a reconnaissance UAV hovering over Bryansk at the time of the missile strike on the electronics plant. 108-110 km from the Russian/Ukrainian border.

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2031463554210046192

13/ "Here, Sova is starting to crack at the seams, trying to fit it into the "globe" of Starlink's authorized coverage zone—it just doesn't add up, my dear. Bryansk technically can't be located within the "official" coverage zone of the Starlink constellation.

14/ "We emphasise "within the official coverage zone" and begin monitoring the situation even more closely.

15/ "3. A Rubicon unit interceptor drone captures an interesting specimen: an E-300 Enterprise with a box resembling a Starlink [pictured at the start of this thread]. And once again, a heated discussion flares up in the admin chat.

16/ "It's important to understand that this isn't some Lutiy or Shark UAV, but a fully fledged aircraft, converted into a drone (these were used to attack distant targets, like Alabuga), with the corresponding price tag and purpose (using something like this to hit a village…

17/ …of grandmothers is way too extravagant). Despite the fact that the plane was intercepted over Donbas, its size and range indicate that it was planning to fly for a very long time and far, far beyond the “official” Starlink coverage area. Where? Well… there’s a question.

18/ "4. Novorossiysk, raid on 5 April 2026, with video coverage. 114 km from territory unrecognized by the SpaceX corporation. 114 km among mountains (with pronounced elevation changes) and no direct line of sight beyond 5 km. Except for the sea...

https://x.com/Osinttechnical/status/2040918768545673610

19/ "That's when the last straw came: "Well, maybe from neutral waters, and then via a mesh network? Huh?"

20/ "Unfortunately, no—technically, organizing such a mesh network for a group raid is a fairly complex task, in terms of keeping the repeater aircraft in sight of the "entire theatre of operations," especially for several hours.

21/ "Based on points 1, 2, and 3, plus information coming from the front—confirmation of Starlink coverage in the Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol, and Bryansk regions and Krasnodar Krai…

22/ …(not the admin's guesses based on his assumptions in points 1, 2, and 3, but rather confirmation from the field), we can confirm a significant expansion of Starlink's coverage area.

23/ "Let's summarise in our own words, as of 31 August 2025.

– "After all, nothing is more permanent than the temporary. Today, Starlink's use over mainland Russia is banned, and the prospect of lifting this ban tomorrow is bleak."

24/ "For our part, we did everything we could, took risks, but sounded the alarm, trying to tell “the Tsar that the English don’t clean their guns with bricks...” [reference to Nikolai Leskov’s satirical story "Levsha" ("The Left-Handed Craftsman"), written in 1881]. /end

Source:
t.me/infomil_live/2…