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First Use of Starlink Drones Marks Shift in Warfare

1/26/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On January 24, Russian forces used Shahed drones controlled via Starlink to strike Ukrainian helicopters near Kropyvnytskyi.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's Defense Minister, confirmed this marked the first use of Starlink for drone operations.
He noted the drones flew at low altitudes to evade radar, signaling a shift in drone warfare.
He stated the drones were manually guided after automatic target acquisition.

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Story summary

On January 24, Russian forces used Shahed drones controlled via Starlink to strike Ukrainian helicopters near Kropyvnytskyi.
Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's Defense Minister, confirmed this marked the first use of Starlink for drone operations.
He noted the drones flew at low altitudes to evade radar, signaling a shift in drone warfare.
He stated the drones were manually guided after automatic target acquisition.