We’ve reached the “finding out” portion of the program for the Kremlin’s band of thieves and marauders. After years of Russian forces treating Starlink terminals like they were loot from a raided Ukrainian appliance store, the digital lights have finally gone out.
This week, SpaceX and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense finally dropped the hammer. They didn’t just tweak the geofencing; they went for a full “White List” protocol. If your terminal isn’t on the official Ukrainian registry, it’s now about as useful as a brick. For the Russian army, this isn’t just a technical glitch; it’s a digital lobotomy performed mid-war.
The Russian military’s own communication gear is a feckless clown show of 1990s-era radios and encrypted apps that aren’t actually encrypted. They’ve spent the last year surviving on stolen time and illicit Starlink terminals smuggled through third-party “gray markets.”
Without Starlink, the Russian front line is essentially blind, deaf, and remarkably stupid. Their entire tactical operation, from artillery targeting and adjustments, troop movements, “meat wave” logistics, and ISR was running through these little white dishes.
Russia started bolting Starlink Minis onto Shahed drones to bypass electronic warfare. With those terminals bricked, their “high-tech” precision strikes just became expensive, dumb lawnmower-engine gliders again.
Imagine being a Russian commander realizing your “unstoppable” army is now reliant on couriers on dirt bikes and unencrypted Baofeng walkie-talkies while the Ukrainians are still streaming high-def target data.
So, why did Special K finally pull the plug now? Why, after years of cryptic tweets and “strategic ambiguity,” did Elon Musk decide to brick the Russian terminals?
When Russia started mounting Starlink terminals directly onto attack drones to strike deep into Ukraine, they crossed a Rubicon. Musk has always been twitchy about Starlink being used for “offensive” weapons (his words). When his tech became the literal guidance system for missiles hitting passenger trains, the PR, legal, and sovereign liability became radioactive.
I’m sure the pressure wasn’t from the pro-Putin Pentagon, where goons like Bridge Colby want to cede the world to Putin and Xi. Europe may have played a role, but the reporting is still coming in. Perhaps someone finally convinced him that being the IT department for a genocidal invasion wasn’t a great long-term business strategy.
Ukraine’s new defense chief, Mykhailo Fedorov (who has the most badass nom de guerre: “The Sinister Minister”), gave Musk a technical out in this whitelist system, allowing SpaceX and Starlink to play the hero.
The bottom line? The Russian “special military operation” just lost its most competent asset: the high-speed satellite link. They’re back to fighting like it’s 1944, while the rest of the world is watching their tactical collapse in 4K.
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Sia: FINALLY!
Good news indeed!
Posted by greenman on February 6, 2026, 1:58 pm, in reply to "Elon Does The Right Thing" Valued Poster
Cost a lotta lives, but better late than never.
Still, the world must NOT rely on the whims of the rich to get along! RESIST!
Maybe Russia's insolvency can't pay their Starlink bill?
Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on February 6, 2026, 2:35 pm, in reply to "Good news indeed!" ADMIN
While I welcome "good news" if it is good news, Musk doesn't inspire confidence with me. His role in Trump 2024, and intent to meddle with 2026 and beyond is unwelcome. US citizenship for foreigners should require their residency for at least something like eleven months.
His election meddling is of course, an outcome of the Robert's Citizens United decision. Do each of Musk's companies get a vote? And a say?
Roberts may be as much of a creep as Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Thomas. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
on February 6, 2026, 12:46 pm
