Press
Tense situation at the front: Russia is making progress in the Kharkiv offensive. Apparently Putin’s army took advantage of the failure of the Starlink connection.
Kharkiv – The Kharkiv offensive in the Ukraine war did not come as a complete surprise. But when Russia’s army launched the major attack in eastern Ukraine, the defenders initially noticed little of it. Because suddenly Ukrainian air reconnaissance stopped. The Russian armed forces are said to have succeeded in cutting off the Starlink satellite communications system in advance. That’s what she reports Washington Post citing members of the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade.
“We were completely blind at a certain point,” a drone unit commander told the US newspaper. “That was the biggest problem, we couldn’t see how they were moving, we could only work via radio or telephones that were still working.” The connection to the drones “just disappeared.”
Starlink failure favors Kharkiv offensive: Russia blinds drone pilots in the Ukraine war
On May 10, Russia launched the Kharkiv offensive in the war that had been going on for more than two years. Since then, President Vladimir Putin’s army has been making rapid gains in territory on the front in the east of the country. Although the losses are significant, several villages in the region have already been captured. After a week, the front was closed, according to a news agency report AFP widened to a length of 70 kilometers.
The Russian advances were apparently facilitated by the targeted disruption of the Ukrainian reconnaissance systems. The Starlink system is operated by Elon Musk and his aerospace company SpaceX. Since the beginning of the war against Russia, defenders have relied on the satellites to control their combat and reconnaissance drones and many other communications systems.
Starlink without alternative: Ukraine needs the system for its drones
At the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression, Musk made the system available to Ukraine free of charge. But now and then there was trouble. The billionaire had some terminals around Crimea shut down again because he allegedly didn’t want his network to be used as a weapon. There was no alternative for Ukraine. According to Musk’s own statements, his move prevented Ukraine from attacking Putin’s Black Sea fleet. After international outrage, the systems were turned back on.
However, as things stand, the company is not expected to have any part in the Starlink failure at the start of the Kharkiv offensive. The Washington Post According to reports, the disruption was caused by Russian systems. It would not be the first time that Russia’s army had access to the US network. The US portal revealed this in February Defense One, that the attackers in the war zone themselves used the connections available there. This could not be independently verified.
Tense situation at the front: Will Russia make a breakthrough in the Kharkiv offensive?
To what extent the Starlink failure will influence further developments on the front remains to be seen. After more than a week, the situation remains tense. NATO does not expect a breakthrough and a march through to the second largest Ukrainian city. Nevertheless, it will take time before the advance is stopped. Because at the moment the attackers are only encountering thin defense lines. According to a report by the British Guardian were not properly fortified by the Ukrainian armed forces due to the proximity to the Russian positions.
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the situation is gradually “under control”. This means that defensive lines two and three should be better protected. Ukraine is also waiting for new arms and ammunition deliveries from the USA, with which the Russian troops can then be better repelled. (jkf)
#Russia #making #Ukrainians #completely #blind