Russia planned a major campaign in 2026 involving the use of naval drones. But these plans collapsed after SpaceX, at Kyiv’s request, blocked Russian access to Starlink satellite communications, says advisor to Ukraine’s Defense Minister Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov.
This situation highlights Russia’s dependence on Western satellite technologies and the vulnerability of its defense projects to sanctions.
Russia copied Ukrainian naval drones
According to Beskrestnov, Russia quickly began developing its own naval drones after Ukrainian solutions appeared.
Ukrainian forces have effectively used maritime drones to strike large surface combatants. Ukraine’s maritime drone fleet, in coordination with missile and aerial drone strikes, decimated a significant portion of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, forcing the remaining vessels to retreat to remote bases on the sea’s eastern coast.
By last summer, Moscow had already created working prototypes, and in August, an attack on the vessel Simferopol in the Danube delta was recorded, along with other strikes on Ukrainian coastal targets.
Starlink became a critical factor
“Flash” claims that the key blow to Russian plans was the shutdown of Starlink access. The year 2026 was expected to be the period of large-scale deployment of unmanned naval vessels by Russia.
“But all plans were disrupted by the Starlink shutdown at the beginning of 2026,” the advisor wrote.
Attempts by Russia to switch to alternative communication systems reportedly proved unreliable or technically inadequate.
Russia failed to replace Western solutions
According to Beskrestnov, Russia has not managed to equip its naval drones with a functional domestic communications system. Various alternatives were tested, but due to technical limitations, they either failed completely or were too unstable and impractical.
In the end, Starlink terminals were effectively the only reliable communication channel for naval drones operating near the Ukrainian coast. However, Russia no longer has access to this technology.
“Of course, we should not underestimate the enemy. They really want to use USVs, especially since many have already been built. I have a general understanding of where they are heading next. We’ll see,” Serhii Beskrestnov concluded.
