State Duma Defense Committee member Alexey Zhuravlev said the loss of Starlink access could give the Ukrainian military a convenient explanation for setbacks on the battlefield.
Speaking to Gazeta. Ru, Zhuravlev said Ukrainian forces could now blame Donald Trump for their frontline problems after Starlink was restricted. He acknowledged that the system had provided advantages for drones and high-speed vehicles.
Zhuravlev said the Russian military has been without access to Starlink since February 2026, but argued that this had not affected the pace of Russian advances. According to him, Russian forces use alternative communication and coordination systems, though he declined to provide details.
He also said the Starlink disruption could give Russian forces several days of tactical advantage. In his view, Russian units have already adapted to operating without the system, while Ukrainian troops still need to adjust to the new conditions.
Earlier, former adviser to the Ukrainian defense minister Sergey Sternenko said Starlink terminals in Ukraine were restricted on the night of October 14. He said the disruption caused several important operations to fail and suggested that Elon Musk’s SpaceX may have acted at the request of the U.S. presidential administration.