On February 1, SpaceX stopped all Starlink terminals located in Ukraine from working if they moved faster than 90 km/h. This blocked Russian forces from using Starlink to control their Geran kamikaze drones. These drones became faster and deadlier because Starlink terminals helped them avoid Ukrainian jamming and allowed real-time navigation. Western sanctions ban Starlink terminals in Russia. But Russia smuggled thousands via other countries like Dubai, using fake papers and activating them where legal. Russian drones and soldiers relied on these terminals for fast, precise communications. Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov helped arrange the shutdown. Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko said, "Fedorov managed to sort it out with Musk – somehow, because we couldn’t do it earlier." Experts say this move "significantly lowered" Russia's drone strike effectiveness and hurt small Russian units' communication. Russian troops in places like Kupiansk now face communication blackout. One soldier said on Telegram they are "deprived of any way of getting in touch with mainland." Some Russian officers are criticized for relying on Starlink and not building other communication systems. The shutdown also affected some Ukrainian civilian users of Starlink until they learned to navigate the new rules. Despite the disruption, experts believe Russia will recover. Andriy Pronin, a military drone expert, said, "It’s not a panacea... They will restore their communications." Romanenko added it might take weeks for Russia to switch back to older tech like radios and fiber optics. In sum, the Starlink cutoff hits Russia’s drone operations hard but won’t quickly end the conflict. The war continues as Russia adapts.