Russia's Invasion of Ukraine (Official Thread)

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Russia using Elon Musk’s Starlink on Ukraine front line, says Kyiv​

Adoption of satellite internet service by Moscow’s troops ‘systemic’

A Starlink system to receive internet is positioned on the frontline in Donetsk, Ukraine

Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence unit made its claim following multiple reports in recent days that Russian forces are using Starlink’s distinctive square-shaped terminals © Pierre Crom/Getty Images

Ben Hall in London

YESTERDAY

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Russian forces are using Starlink terminals on the front line in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military, which said the adoption of Elon Musk’s satellite internet service by Moscow’s troops was becoming “systemic”.

Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence unit said on Telegram on Sunday that radio intercepts confirmed the use of Starlink terminals by Russian units operating in the occupied Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

“Yes, there have been recorded cases of the Russian occupiers using these devices,” Andriy Yusov, a GUR officer, told RBC-Ukraine. “This is starting to take on a systemic nature.”

GUR made its claim following multiple reports in recent days that Russian forces are using Starlink devices, including a sighting reported by news outlet Defense One of the company’s distinctive square-shaped receivers close to Russian positions.

One Russian volunteer group flaunted on social media the devices it said it had purchased for Russian forces.

SpaceX, which owns Starlink, has denied reports it has sold equipment to the Russian government or military. In a post on X on Sunday Musk, the company’s chief executive, said: “A number of false news reports claim that SpaceX is selling Starlink terminals to Russia. This is categorically false. To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Monday that Starlink “is not certified [in Russia], therefore it cannot and is not officially supplied here. It cannot be used in any way,” according to Russian newswire Interfax.

“We should probably not wade into the discussion between the Kyiv regime and the businessman Musk,” Peskov said.

Musk provided thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine to help it fend off Russian troops soon after their full-scale invasion in February 2022, giving Kyiv’s forces a valuable technological advantage in the form of high-speed internet for communications, targeting and battlefield management software. However, Kyiv’s praise for the businessman turned to fury when Musk started to limit the operation of Starlink in areas of Ukraine that Russian forces have occupied since 2014, including Crimea.

That was because Ukraine wanted its forces to be able to use the system for operations in Russian-controlled areas of their territory, though Kyiv is now complaining because Russians, as well as Ukrainians, are using it in contested areas. But introducing or reintroducing so-called “geofencing” to stop Starlink use by Russia on the front line could also affect the Ukrainian military’s devices given the proximity of the two sides’ positions.

The apparent use of the technology by Russian forces to help their invasion is another example of Moscow’s forces adapting their tactics in response to Ukraine’s innovations as they have done with the mass use of cheap, commercially available racing drones.

Ukrainian media reported that Russian forces may have obtained the terminals via intermediaries in Dubai.

In response, SpaceX said on X: “Starlink also does not operate in Dubai. Starlink cannot be purchased in Dubai nor does SpaceX ship there.”

“Additionally, Starlink has not authorised any third-party intermediaries, resellers or distributors of any kind to sell Starlink in Dubai. If SpaceX obtains knowledge that a Starlink terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorised party, we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed.”

A biography of Musk by Walter Isaacson published last autumn detailed how the tyc00n refused to allow Starlink to be used by Ukrainian forces for a naval drone strike on Russian ships in Sevastopol. Musk said he feared this could trigger a nuclear response from Moscow.





 
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Russia refits old tanks after losing 3,000 in Ukraine - research centre​

By Mark Trevelyan and Greg Torode

February 13, 20249:52 AM EST Updated 20 hours ago

Ukrainian servicemen walk near destroyed Russian tanks in the town of Izium

Ukrainian servicemen walk near destroyed Russian tanks, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Izium, recently liberated by Ukrainian Armed Forces, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Summary
  • Russia mainly replacing lost tanks with refitted spares - IISS
  • Ukraine faces major manpower and equipment challenges
  • Think-tank sees no early end to military stalemate

LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Russia has lost more than 3,000 tanks in Ukraine - the equivalent of its entire pre-war active inventory - but has enough lower-quality armoured vehicles in storage for years of replacements, a leading research centre said on Tuesday.

Ukraine has also suffered heavy loses since Russia invaded in February 2022, but Western military replenishments have allowed it to maintain inventories while upgrading quality, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said.

Even after the loss of so many tanks - including an estimated 1,120 in the past year - Russia still has about twice as many available for combat as Ukraine, according to the IISS's annual Military Balance, a key research tool for defence analysts.

Henry Boyd, the institute's senior fellow for military capability, said Russia had been roughly "breaking even" in terms of replacements. He estimated that it had put around 1,000 to 1,500 more tanks into service in the past year.

But of these, he said, 200 at most were newly built, and the large majority were refurbished older models.

"Moscow has been able to trade quality for quantity... by pulling thousands of older tanks out of storage at a rate that may, at times, have reached 90 tanks per month," said the report.

Russia's stored inventories meant Moscow "could potentially sustain around three more years of heavy losses and replenish tanks from stocks, even if at lower-technical standard, irrespective of its ability to produce new equipment".

Russia's defence ministry declined to comment.


TOUGH CHOICES FOR UKRAINE AND WEST​

Nearly two years into the conflict, Ukraine and its Western partners face very difficult choices, the report said.

IISS senior land warfare analyst Ben Barry said Ukraine had tried to shield some of its younger troops - the average age of its infantry soldiers is reported to be in the early 40s - but may struggle to continue to do so.

"They have deliberately protected their youth, but the extent to which they can do that in future is doubtful if they are going to sustain their frontline strength," he said.

Ukraine, which failed to make progress in a counter-offensive last year and has just replaced its popular commander Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, is also in urgent need of new artillery supplies and air defence systems, while awaiting a major new U.S. aid package that has been held up by Republican opposition.

"Western governments find themselves once again in a position where they must decide whether to furnish Kyiv with enough weapons to deliver a decisive blow, rather than merely enough not to lose," IISS Director-General Bastian Giegerich said.

Russia, for its part, has placed its economy on a war footing and moved defence factories to round-the-clock production in three shifts.

"It's an astounding figure," said Singapore-based defence analyst Alexander Neill, referring to the estimate of 3,000 tanks lost.

"Some of those could have been older tanks, so one of the big questions is how many of its most advanced tanks does it have left for any major future offensives," added Neill, an adjunct fellow at Hawaii's Pacific Forum think-tank.

Given the losses sustained by both sides and the attritional character of the trench warfare, IISS experts said the current stalemate was likely to persist.

"Neither side can do a large-scale attack without incurring very heavy casualties, and that's likely to continue for the foreseeable future," IIIS land warfare analyst Barry said.

Reporting by Mark Trevelyan in London and Greg Torode in Hong Kong Editing by Gareth Jones

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.





 
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