Russia deploys local satellite terminals to replace Starlink

Russia’s military has begun urgently receiving new satellite internet terminals to replace Starlink equipment that has been blocked.

Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of defense known by the call sign “Flash,” said Russia has moved to alternative providers of high-speed satellite internet operating via the Yamal and Express satellite constellations. He said the transition followed the loss of access to Starlink terminals previously used by Russian forces.

According to Beskrestnov, Russia has several domestic satellite internet providers relying on the Yamal and Express systems. He said the antennas used by these services resemble conventional television satellite dishes and are round or oval, with diameters ranging from 60 to 120 centimeters.

Beskrestnov said: “The dish will be visually open. At these frequencies, a protective cover like on Starlink will interfere with operation. The dish can be placed deeper behind the front line and connected to the forward positions by a Wi-Fi bridge.”

He added that the size and configuration of the antennas make them more visible compared to Starlink terminals, which are typically smaller and enclosed.

The adviser said Russia’s shift to alternative satellite internet follows a command-and-control disruption after Starlink access was blocked.

Over the past year, Russia has purchased tens of thousands of Starlink terminals through intermediaries in Greece, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, and Singapore. Those acquisitions were intended to sustain battlefield communications before access was restricted.

Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, has been widely used in Ukraine since 2022 and has also appeared on the battlefield in unauthorized use by Russian units, according to multiple Ukrainian officials and open-source reports. SpaceX has previously said it does not provide service to Russia and has taken steps to prevent misuse.

The Yamal and Express satellite systems are operated by Russian state-linked satellite providers and are primarily designed for civilian and government communications. Their use for military command-and-control reflects Russia’s effort to reconstitute connectivity using domestically controlled infrastructure.