Ukrainian midrange drones strike Russian supply routes using Starlink

Ukrainian drone units are striking roads and convoys that carry fuel, ammunition and reinforcements to Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine. Pilots operating from a basement in Kharkiv control fixed-wing midrange drones that fly more than 100 kilometers behind Russian lines for up to four hours.

The drones use Starlink satellite terminals to maintain connections, allowing them to evade jamming and strike targets that previously lay beyond shorter-range systems. In May one unit launched 800 such drones, 650 of which hit intended targets.

Drone operations and targets Crews in civilian clothes monitor screens that display target lists and satellite maps. One 20-year-old pilot said the work resembles video games he played as a child, with crews competing for consecutive hits. The drones primarily attack logistics convoys on highways linking occupied Mariupol, Berdyansk, Melitopol and Crimea.

Ukrainian commanders say the strikes have forced Russian forces onto slower routes and made sections of the land corridor to Crimea more dangerous.

Russian response and countermeasures Russian forces have begun deploying mobile anti-aircraft units, machine-gun positions and electronic warfare systems against the drones. A researcher at the Center for Naval Analyses said Russia’s larger military allows it to absorb losses while it develops responses.

Ukraine’s advantage followed SpaceX’s decision to block unauthorized Russian access to Starlink services earlier this year. One senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute called that step one of the most significant battlefield developments of the year.