SpaceX introduces new way to cut off Russian troops from Starlink
Businessinsider reports SpaceX moved to cut off Russian access to Starlink by disabling connectivity over Ukraine while maintaining a whitelist of approved Ukrainian terminals. The change drew praise from Ukrainian officials and pundits, who said Russian troops had been using Starlink to guide strikes and coordinate forces.
"The enemy reports a mass Starlink blackout among Russian units at the front," wrote Serhii Sternenko, and Serhii Beskrestnov wrote that "the enemy doesn't even have a problem on the fronts. The enemy has a catastrophe." Early reports said the move disrupted some Russian ground assaults.
Ukraine has urged users to register terminals under its DELTA battlespace management system. Businesses must apply via an online portal and civilians were told to bring private Starlink terminals and national ID to administrative centers; the whitelist is updated every day, Ukraine's defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov said.
Ukraine