Starlink, IRIS²: Europe’s New Strategic Dependence on Communications Satellites

Starlink has become a leading military infrastructure, on which the course of conflicts and global strategic balances now depend. In June 2026, a Ukrainian drone destroyed a Russian electronic warfare system in Crimea designed to jam Starlink signals. The Volna Kupol Garant system, valued at $2 million, covered an area of 20 square kilometers (7.7 square miles).

This is not the first battle over this infrastructure. On February 1, SpaceX activated a whitelist protocol in Ukraine: Only officially registered terminals retain access to the network.

For everyone else, it is a black screen. Swiss daily Le Temps reported on messages from Russian soldiers on Telegram: “Nearly 90% of my units have no internet access.” According to Andrey Medvedev, vice president of the Moscow Duma, planned strikes are being canceled, and troops are unable to coordinate.

More than 50,000 Starlink terminals have been deployed on the Ukrainian front lines. “Satellite communications are no longer merely a support tool…