Ukraine said it has worked with SpaceX to block Starlink internet terminals used by Russian forces, a move Kyiv described as a major setback for Moscow’s battlefield operations.

Ukraine’s military uses tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and drone operations, according to Reuters. Ukrainian officials said they recently discovered Starlink terminals attached to Russian long-range drones, prompting urgent appeals to Elon Musk’s SpaceX for assistance.

Russian troops have relied on unauthorized Starlink terminals for secure communications since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.

But Kyiv said it worked with SpaceX to compile a “white list” of authorized Ukrainian Starlink terminals, allowing Russian-operated systems to be shut off.

ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR ‘REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR

Russian soldiers standing with Starlink boxes at an unknown location. Ukraine said it has worked with SpaceX to block Starlink internet terminals used by Russian forces, a move Kyiv described as a major setback for Moscow’s battlefield operations. (East2West News)

“Starlinks included in the ‘white list’ are working — Russian terminals have already been blocked,” Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a Telegram post, adding that the list was still being updated, Reuters reported.

The outlet said it could not independently verify the full scale of the disruption but cited multiple Ukrainian sources who reportedly said the impact appeared significant.

Russian war bloggers also acknowledged the outage, with the pro-Russian Telegram channel Two Majors saying there had been a major failure of Starlink terminals on the Russian side beginning Wednesday evening, describing the block as “extremely unpleasant,” according to the East2West news agency.

US ACCUSES RUSSIA OF ‘DANGEROUS AND INEXPLICABLE ESCALATION’ IN UKRAINE WAR DURING PEACE NEGOTIATIONS

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaking at an event.  (Richard Bord/WireImage / Getty Images)

Ukrainian military sources near the front told Reuters Russian units were experiencing severe communications problems and were attempting to switch to Russian-made satellite systems.

“All command of the troops has collapsed. Assault operations have been stopped in many areas,” Ukrainian defense adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram, Reuters reported.

Some Russian frontline attacks have slowed or stopped due to the loss of Starlink communications, with other operations reduced as units struggle to coordinate, per East2West.

The outlet also reported that Russian forces could no longer attach Starlink terminals to drones for targeting and battlefield coordination, citing Ukrainian sources. 

East2West said Russia does not have a domestic alternative comparable to Starlink after failing to establish its own satellite-internet system for frontline forces.

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Rows of boxed Starlink satellite-internet terminals packed together at a Russian military outpost at an unknown location. (East2West News)

Amid the communications disruption, East2West reported Russia launched a new spy satellite aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Plesetsk military cosmodrome.

The Starlink disruption comes as U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war continue. American officials have said the United States will continue supplying weapons to Ukraine until a peace agreement is reached.

DOHA, Qatar – This week’s historic $1 trillion rout in U.S. software giants like Microsoft and Salesforce has sent a chill across Silicon Valley and around the world.

Speaking with fast-growing AI unicorn founders and top venture investors at Web Summit Qatar, many argued the software “Armageddon” narrative is overblown – even as they acknowledge AI valuations look stretched.

The founder of the $7 billion agentic AI unicorn Glean, Arvind Jain, said he doesn’t think AI will make software-as-a-service obsolete.

“I think AI is a really powerful technology that people have to embed,” he said, adding that delivering products and services “will all continue,” arguing integration is how software services will thrive in the future.

Meantime, the $17 billion-valued decacorn Miro’s founder, Andrey Khusid, said AI “valuations are crazy, and valuations will correct,” but in his estimate, valuations will “normalize in the next two years.”

Technology investors also believe the AI bubble is deflating. Larry Li, founder of Amino Capital and a member of Forbes’ annual Midas List, said “it’s just a matter of time,” as he sees the bubble – especially for large companies – deflating.

Both investors and founders compared the moment to the dot-com era: most startups will fail, but the ones that survive will be the generational winners of the AI revolution. The prevailing view in Doha is that the boom has been more “responsible” than prior cycles because many companies are generating real revenue – even if valuations may still correct.

IPO market: why AI giants may wait

Another point of discussion in Doha was the IPO market, amid reports that AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic are racing to get to market first to scoop up eager investor dollars looking to own a slice of the fastest-growing companies.

Khusid said he prefers to stay private, noting the company has been profitable for years, and he believes he can operate more efficiently without outside public-market pressure.

Jain said many AI companies also prefer to stay private longer. “Public markets demand predictability,” he said – but “the market is actually changing so fast.”

Many of the world’s most valuable AI startups – including OpenAI and Anthropic – are still not profitable, with reports that OpenAI is set to lose $14 billion this year. That has not deterred investors from pouring billions into the sector. According to Forbes, more than $340 billion in cash chased global startups in 2025 – with more than 65% of that capital invested in AI companies.

“Compared to AI”: the new fundraising benchmark

While AI companies still have abundant access to cash, other startups say the funding market is tougher. Speaking on a panel moderated by FOX Business, Yuno founder Juan Pablo Ortega – who also founded Latin American unicorn Rappi – said non-AI startups are being benchmarked against AI companies growing at extreme rates.

“You’re getting compared with AI companies that are growing 1000% year over year and are doing things that are not possible for the rest of us,” he said.

U.S.–China AI race: innovation vs. scale

Another hot topic: the U.S.–China AI race and which country is ahead in the technology. Amino Capital’s Li said the U.S. is ahead in innovation, but China is ahead in scaling, arguing China has an advantage through supply chain and production capacity as well as a higher number of AI engineers.

When asked if the U.S. or China will “win,” most founders and investors said there is room for both – with growth for closed models like OpenAI and open models, including those developed in China.

Despite the stock market turbulence this week, the Dow Jones still managed to cross the historic 50,000 level, underscoring the continued exuberance surrounding the AI race – even as many in Doha expect a valuation reset.

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