"Reid" suppressed 86 Molniya in January. The analyst saw this as an illustration of the role of Starlink for the RF
In January, electronic warfare operators of the 413th Regiment of the Raid UAV Force suppressed dozens of Russian Molniya drones, a clear illustration of the role that Starlink satellite communication terminals played for the Russians. More about this in the commentary LIGA.net said Ivan Kirichevsky, a soldier of the "Raid" and an expert on weapons Defense Express.
He saidreported that in January 2026, the regiment's electronic warfare operators suppressed 86 Russian Molniya drones. This is one of the most massive aircraft-type FPV drones among those in service with the Russians.
Most often, they are used as kamikaze UAVs to attack Ukrainian military targets and civilian infrastructure. This type of UAV is also used for aerial reconnaissance, logistics, and as a carrier for FPV drones.
"This rate of suppression of Russian drones is a clear illustration of the role Starlink played for the Russians <…> For the Russians, it was just a tool for interspecies command and control of troops, needed to combine small infantry groups, attack UAVs into one fist, and to ensure that, roughly speaking, all this is supported almost in real time by strikes by guided bombs and artillery," Kirichevsky said.
At the same time, he called the statement about the mass installation of terminals on drones an exaggeration. Starlink, for example, could be used to manage the calculations of these very "Molniya".
The analyst emphasized that Russian drones did not stop flying after access to the terminals was restricted. He recalled that in January alone, according to publicly available data, Raid's electronic warfare units suppressed 86 Molniya drones.
According to Kirichevsky, Russia is currently looking for alternative solutions in the field of satellite communications for the needs of troop management. At the same time, he believes that the restriction on the use of Starlink reduces the ability of Russian forces to improve coordination on the battlefield.
"It was definitely necessary for the Russians to take down Starlink. Because as long as the Russians had Starlink, they could increase their effectiveness on the battlefield by improving their command and control system. Now this option of improving the command and control system at the expense of communications will obviously be reduced," the military stated.
"The Molniya is a Russian strike UAV used to attack targets in the frontline zone. It is one of the cheaper types of drones and is used as a weapon of destruction or as part of massive attacks to deplete air defense and electronic warfare systems.
The vehicle is usually lightweight, simple in design, launched from ground installations and carries a warhead to destroy manpower or equipment. The fuselage and wingspan are 1.5 m and 1.2 m, respectively, the payload can even carry a TM-62M anti-tank mine, the flight speed is up to 90 km/h, and the range is at least 40 km.
- Russians, probably, first used starlink satellite Internet on "shaheds" by attacking helicopters near Kropyvnytskyi on January 24, 2026.
- On January 26, it became known that a Russian drone equipped with Starlink, flew to Dnipro.
- After that, in Ukraine introduced registration terminals – both for military and civilians. Unverified Starlink terminals will be disabled.
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