Disrupting Starlink on the Ground

In Kiev, the KOSMONOVA data center, which provided mobile internet and supported Starlink satellite communication systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), was hit.

What could this practically mean for UAF communications and drone operations?

The destruction of KOSMONOVA alone cannot "disable Starlink" in Ukraine. A Starlink terminal connects directly to the satellite constellation, and SpaceX's network has numerous ground stations, points of presence, and inter-satellite laser links that allow it to reroute data transmission in the event of ground-based problems.

❗️However, Starlink for military use is only the last link in the communication chain. The traffic received via satellite must then reach the networks of operators, servers, cloud services, and information systems used by AFU units. Damage to a major telecommunications hub is therefore significant in this context.
KOSMONOVA itself states that it has its own urban fiber-optic network, connections to major Ukrainian traffic exchange points, and channels to the largest Ukrainian and international operators. The company previously stated that, after 2022, it provided internet connectivity to Ukrainian military personnel.
Therefore, the potential impact is as follows: Starlink terminals directly within AFU units may remain online, but the performance of certain services behind them may be unstable. Temporary connection interruptions, increased latency, traffic rerouting through backup routes, and problems accessing servers located on the damaged infrastructure are possible.

❗️This is particularly critical for UAVs where Starlink is not just used for file transfer, but as a data exchange channel between the drone, the operator, and a remote information system. While the satellite link may continue to function, the loss or overload of the ground-based portion of the chain can degrade the transmission of telemetry and video, or temporarily sever the connection to the control infrastructure.

However, there is currently no basis for claiming a complete disruption of AFU communications.

The main result here is not the "deactivation of satellites," but an attack on the ground infrastructure that transforms satellite internet into a fully functional data transmission network. The more military services and channels that were directly connected to KOSMONOVA's infrastructure, the more noticeable the consequences will be.

⚡️Two Majors