Defense forces have destroyed a Russian Spirit-030 satellite communications terminal for the first time

Ukrainian forces have destroyed the first "Spirit-030" compact satellite communication terminal, which had begun to be supplied in large quantities to Russian occupation forces. 

This was reported on April 5, 2026, by Serhiy Beskrestnov (Flash), an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense. The new devices appeared on the front lines as an attempt by the enemy to find a replacement for the blocked Starlink systems and the bulky, outdated antennas.

According to the advisor, previous Russian satellite internet equipment had antennas with a diameter of about 90 centimeters, which allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine to quickly detect and destroy them. The "Spirit-030" terminal operates with a special geostationary satellite, which has made it possible to reduce the antenna size to 30 centimeters. This makes the equipment portable and significantly more difficult to detect visually from drones.

The first target of this type was detected and neutralized by pilots of the 414th Separate Brigade of Strike Unmanned Aerial Systems “Madyar Birds.” Beskreznov urged all UAV operators to pay special attention to these small devices, as the occupiers are attempting to scale up their use to ensure stable communication between units. Destroying such communication nodes is critically important for disrupting the command and control of enemy forces on the front lines.

The Russians have replacedStarlink with an alternative that is more visible to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Additionally, blocking Starlink and restricting Telegram have created problems for Russian forces, according to Estonian intelligence.

The Russian command has acknowledged the mass shutdown of Starlink terminals for the first time.