In just four days, between Wednesday and Sunday, occupied by Russia. It had been more than a year – since the counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 – that kyiv’s forces had not made any progress so fast and focused.
The data comes from an analysis published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington that monitors movements on the front daily. The figure is significant: it is equivalent to almost everything that Moscow conquered during the month of December (244 km²).
Behind this tactical turn an unexpected actor appears:
The “blackout” that alters the front
According to the ISW, recent Ukrainian counterattacks they would have taken advantage of a key interruption: blocking Russian military access to the Starlink satellite network, operated by SpaceX.
Russian military bloggers They began to warn on February 5 of problems in communications. Days earlier, Musk had announced “measures” to stop Moscow’s misuse of the system. Although Starlink was conceived as a civilian satellite internet network, its role in the war has been decisive for both sides.
Ukraine maintains that Russian units were using Starlink terminals on drones and tactical coordination systems. Satellite connectivity allowed, according to kyiv:
- Avoid electronic interference
- Maintain stable communications in combat zones
- Guide drones with greater precision over strategic targets
If that channel goes down, command and control capacity suffers. And in a war where drones and precision artillery make a difference, every second of latency counts.
The ISW highlights that, after the interruption was detected, Russian advances were almost completely stopped for several days. Only on February 9 were Moscow’s small territorial gains recorded; The rest of the week, the initiative passed into Ukrainian hands.
200 km² that change the narrative
The recoveries are concentrated in a strip located about 80 kilometers east of the city of Zaporizhia, a sector where Russia had pushed hard since summer 2025. On that axis of the front, Moscow sought to consolidate positions and expand its defensive depth.
As of mid-February, Russia fully or partially controlled 19.5% of Ukrainian territory, up from 18.6% a year earlier. Of that percentage, around 7% – including Crimea and part of Donbas – were already under occupation before the large-scale invasion that began in February 2022.
The 201 km² do not radically alter the map, but they do send a strategic message:
- Ukraine can still launch effective counterattacks
- Technological dependence is a vulnerable point
- Control of digital and satellite space weighs as much as terrestrial space
In previous conflicts, superiority was measured in tanks or aviation. In Ukraine, connectivity is a force multiplier. Electronic warfare, satellites and drones form an invisible network that sustains every advance on the ground.
Private technology, global impact
The episode once again places Musk at the center of an uncomfortable debate: the power of a private company to influence the course of a war. Since the start of the conflict, Starlink has been essential for Ukrainian communications, especially following Russian attacks on energy and telecommunications infrastructure.
But the use of the system by Russian forces – whether through terminals acquired in parallel markets or through third parties – raises questions about the real control of technology in war scenarios.
That a business decision can translate into 200 km² recovered in less than a week illustrates the extent to which modern war is also fought in orbit.
Meanwhile, on the Zaporizhia front, fighting continues. The maps change meter by meter, but the lesson is clear: en 2026, a “switch” in space can tip the balance on earth.
