Ukrainian military's Starlink terminals went down at beginning of Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast

The Ukrainian military's Starlink terminals went down on the first day of the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast on 10 May. They were jammed by Russian electronic warfare systems. 

Source: The Washington Post, citing information obtained from the Ukrainian military 

Details: The Washington Post reported that the 125th Territorial Defence Brigade was defending an approximately 40-kilometre stretch of the border between Russia and Kharkiv Oblast. It used reconnaissance drones on a daily basis to monitor how Russia was building up its forces for a possible attack. 

But on the morning of 10 May, the brigade lost all of its video feeds due to Russian electronic jamming. Starlink satellite internet terminals, which provide basic communications for the Ukrainian military, also failed. This situation first occurred during the Russian invasion in February 2022.

The commander of a drone unit in the brigade who goes by the alias Artist commented on the situation to WP. He said that the connection with the drones "just disappeared". 

Quote: "We were left at a certain point completely blind... This was the biggest problem, we didn’t see how they were moving, we only worked through radio or through phones where they still worked." 

Background: 

• On 10 May, Russian forces intensified their activities in the north of Kharkiv Oblast. The Russians seized a number of settlements in the grey zone.
• On 16 May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian Defence Forces had managed to stabilise the situation on the battlefield as Russian troops were trying to advance in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast. At best, the Russians had advanced 10 kilometres deep into Ukraine.
• He also stressed that the Russians in Kharkiv Oblast had reached only the first of three lines of fortifications.

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