Starlink satellite systems failed on the first day of the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Region, according to an investigation by The Washington Post.
The publication reports that on the morning of May 10, communications with the drones “just disappeared,” all video feeds were lost, and the unit commander said that “at one point we were left completely blind.”
“That was the biggest problem - we couldn't see the Russians moving, we were only working through radio or phones where they were still functioning,” said a sergeant with the call sign Artist. The drones, he said, “just disappeared.”
Ukraine had to send reinforcements from Donetsk and Luhansk regions to repel the assault on Kharkiv. One of the redeployed brigades is the National Guard's “Charteria.”
Col. Igor Obolensky, the commander of “Charteria”, said that Russian troops tried to storm his soldiers' positions six times on Wednesday. “This is only in one area,” he said.
Ukrainian troops recognize that their enemy has become smarter and adapted, especially thanks to technological advances such as electronic warfare. Before a strike, they say, a Russian drone equipped with electronic warfare equipment flies over an area to disrupt communications.
Today, Putin, speaking from China during an offofficial visit, said the offensive was only being carried out to create a buffer zone to protect Belgorod from attack. “As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today,” Putin emphasized.
