Former Kremlin Officials Say Putin Was Misled on Ukraine War and 10,200-Satellite Starlink Gap
Updated
Updated · Новая газета. Европа · Jun 23
Former Kremlin Officials Say Putin Was Misled on Ukraine War and 10,200-Satellite Starlink Gap
2 articles · Updated · Новая газета. Европа · Jun 23
Summary
Two former senior Kremlin officials told the Financial Times that Vladimir Putin has become increasingly deluded about Russia’s battlefield progress and military technology, shaped by as many as three daily briefings from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Those claims come as Russian momentum has slowed: the Institute for the Study of War said on June 1 that Ukrainian forces had largely halted Moscow’s spring-summer offensive, with Russia taking only a fraction of the territory in May that it captured a year earlier.
At a June 12 meeting with servicemen, Putin said Russia already had a satellite internet system comparable to or better than Starlink, even though Russia’s Rassvet project launched just 16 satellites in March and is not yet operational.
Military experts told the FT that Russia is also falling behind Ukraine in drone warfare, with even the elite Rubikon unit unable to match Ukraine’s expansion of middle-range strikes.
One source said the Kremlin may see broader mobilization of human, industrial and economic resources as its only remaining answer if technological and battlefield gaps keep widening.
As Ukraine masters AI drone warfare, can Russia's industrial might alone prevent its military collapse?
Is Putin the greatest victim of his own propaganda, trapped by briefings that warp his reality of the war?
With its war economy straining society, how long can Russia fight before facing a breaking point at home?
Starlink’s 2026 Blackout: Russia’s Operational Breakdown and the Race for Satellite Sovereignty
Overview
In early 2026, SpaceX and Ukraine worked together to update a whitelist of approved Starlink terminals, which led to the blocking of unauthorized Russian access. This Starlink cutoff caused a severe operational collapse for Russian forces, as their battlefield communications and coordination were heavily disrupted. Russian command and control suffered a major blow, with coordination dropping to only about 60% of previous levels. The disruption was evident as Russian strike videos stopped appearing and key drone operations disappeared. Ukraine quickly exploited these weaknesses, gaining a significant advantage while Russia struggled to find effective alternatives.