Drone warfare in Ukraine: Starlink on Molniya UAVs and AI on the frontlines
Four key stories: December 19, 2025 - January 7, 2026
We all remember several instances when the Starlink satellite service was unexpectedly restricted for Ukraine’s Armed Forces during the war, including in 2025. At the beginning of 2026, there is a growing trend of Russian forces using Starlink terminals integrated into their Molniya strike drones, making them more resistant to jamming and highly dangerous.
This development needs to be addressed with SpaceX, although how this will progress, given recent developments, remains difficult to predict.
In this edition:
AI-Enabled Drone Bumblebee and Pasika Swarming Technology — NYT report;
Ukrainian Deftech Forecasts for 2026: Insights from Industry;
Operation Spiderweb: WSJ reporting;
Integration of Starlink Terminals into Russian Molniya UAVs.
additional developments in drone warfare in Ukraine and Russia.
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Integration of Starlink Terminals into Russian Molniya UAVs
Russian Molniya UAVs are now being used not only as strike drones, but also as carrier platforms, transporting several smaller drones — including FPVs — to extend their strike range. These systems, which began appearing more frequently on the battlefield in 2025, are increasingly being used alongside Starlink terminals.
According to an assessment by Ukrainian radio technology specialist Serhiy FLASH Beskrestnov, these are not improvised, garage-style mounts, but appear to be factory-level or small-series integrations, with Starlink terminals embedded directly into the drone’s airframe.
This is a serious warning signal for Ukraine. Drones controlled via Starlink are largely immune to ground-based electronic warfare, meaning they cannot be jammed in the traditional way.
A Molniya UAV under Starlink control can reliably reach its target and strike with an accuracy of tens of metres, hitting what are often the most sensitive targets.
There is currently no clear understanding of the supply channels through which Starlink terminals are reaching Russia at scale. One reported scenario involves relatives or intermediaries in Europe purchasing Starlink units and transferring them to Russian military personnel under personal accounts.
While purchasing one or two units is relatively easy, serial use implies either corporate accounts or affiliated entities abroad acquiring terminals and registering them on their own accounts.
On 17 December, Starlink terminals were also documented on Russian armoured vehicles, where they are being used as a substitute for conventional radio communications, enabling data exchange between units.
Overall, there are growing indications that Russia’s use of Starlink at the front is becoming systemic.
This erodes what was previously a key Ukrainian advantage. From a cost perspective, this is also sustainable for Russia: a Starlink Mini reportedly costs USD 400–500 wholesale, comparable to the price of a thermal camera for a single-use FPV drone.
The only viable response is political and organisational: capturing terminals, tracing their origin through partners, and engaging directly with SpaceX to identify purchasing accounts and block them where large-scale misuse is proven. If thousands of terminals are linked to a single account or supplier, such activity should, in principle, be traceable and stoppable.
Ukrainian Deftech Forecasts for 2026: Insights from Industry
The war has led to uneven technological development. What already works in combat conditions in one area still exists only at the prototype or simulation level in another. As a result, experts often reach different and sometimes even opposing assessments of where the sector is heading.
While I have already published my own assessment of developments in 2025, the section below brings together insights from key industry players in Ukraine, along with their forecasts for 2026.