[ZH] According to a newly declassified U.S. defense intelligence assessment first reported by Bloomberg, Moscow’s frontline command-and-control structures suffered a catastrophic blackout earlier this year due largely to coordinated crackdown that disabled thousands of black market Russian Starlink terminals.
The Pentagon document highlights just how deeply Russian forces had come to rely on Elon Musk's commercial satellite terminals to patch over their own spotty military communication systems. For months, Russian units bypassed international sanctions via shadow supply networks to source the hardware.
The Friday Bloomberg report claims that a "Ukrainian offensive against Russia earlier this year retook about 400 square kilometers after thousands of portable Starlink internet terminals operated by Russian forces were deactivated," citing analysis from the US Defense Intelligence Agency.
The document, authored jointly by the DIA and US European Command, states that "Russian military capabilities in Ukraine were temporarily yet significantly degraded following Ukrainian officials’ efforts in February to deactivate thousands of Starlink terminals that were illicitly used by Russian forces to coordinate movements and unmanned aircraft strikes in areas where communications were unreliable or easily jammed."
Ukrainian forces then made their first territorial gains since 2023, after years of steady Russian gains, with Russia military comms now said to be "temporarily yet significantly degraded" due to the loss of the terminals.
The report further describes that Kiev forces working in tandem with SpaceX were able to deploy sweeping geographic restrictions that target-locked and deactivated unauthorized terminals operating inside the combat zone. This resulted in "instant" results.
What also didn't help is the Kremlin's own tightening restrictions on the use of Telegram by Russian forces, and so also the recent lack of this favored encrypted messaging platform among military units left frontline commanders totally isolated.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2026 05:47 ||
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.57 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published operational information on the Russian invasion as of 22:00 on Saturday, May 23. In total, 173 combat clashes have occurred since the beginning of this day. The enemy carried out 55 air strikes, dropped 176 guided bombs. In addition, it involved 4,177 kamikaze drones for destruction and carried out 1,954 attacks on settlements and positions of our troops.
22.35 Three children who were injured as a result of Russian attacks in Sumy region have sought medical help. This was reported on Saturday, May 23, by the head of the Sumy OVA Oleg Grigorov. Girls aged 12 and 16, as well as an eight-year-old boy, were injured by the attacks of Russian war criminals.
21.20 A 23-year-old British citizen Ayrton Redfern, who fought on the side of Ukraine, was killed in fighting against Russian occupiers in the Donetsk region, the BBC reports. The British Foreign Office said it supports the family of the deceased soldier and is in contact with the Ukrainian authorities.
20.29 For more than 24 hours, Russians have been massively attacking oil and gas facilities of the Naftogaz Group in the Kharkiv and Poltava regions. This was reported on Saturday, May 23, by the Naftogaz press service. The situation remains complex. It is currently impossible to assess the consequences of the attacks due to the risk of repeated strikes.
19.14 Ukrainian intelligence has received data on the Russians preparing a strike using "Oreshnik" - this information is being verified. This was reported on Saturday, May 23, by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. It is important to consciously respond to air alarm signals, starting tonight, the President urged.
17.23 The Defense Forces hit the frigate Admiral Essen and a small hovercraft during an attack on Novorossiysk on the night of Saturday, May 23. Video of the hit was published by the Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Magyar Brovdi.
16.59 Fuel problems have begun in a significant part of the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. RIA Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk reports on a gasoline fever. Meanwhile, on the side of the "land corridor" lie fuel trucks burned after an attack by a UAV of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, it is predicted that the situation with the provision of TOT with fuel will only worsen in the future.
16.10 Employees of the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, together with servicemen of the 1st Separate Center for Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, struck another enemy echelon and fuel tanks, as well as field depots of the enemy's military equipment, repair bases and telecommunications infrastructure. This was reported by the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine on Saturday, May 23.
15.46 Ukrainian defenders struck important enemy targets : the Sheskharys oil terminal, the Grushova oil depot, and a tanker of the Russian shadow fleet. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Saturday, May 23.
14.54 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on the Russian occupiers responsible for missile strikes on our country, and on Russian naval logistics. The press service of the head of state reported this.
14.05 In Novgorod-Siverskyi, Chernihiv region, a Russian drone attacked a police vehicle. Three law enforcement officers were injured, the regional department of the National Police reported.
13.01 Ukrainian drones once again hit an important Russian chemical enterprise Metafrax Chemicals in the Perm region. The Security Service of Ukraine was working, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on Facebook.
12.39 Russian invaders hit a funeral procession on the outskirts of the city of Sumy with a drone. This was reported by the head of the Sumy OVA, Oleg Grigorov. Nine people were injured. Two of them are in serious condition. Resuscitation measures and operations are being carried out.
12.18 During the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Ukraine received new commitments from partners regarding contributions to the PURL initiative. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, Ukrinform reported.
10.53 On Sunday, there will be a complete power outage in Sumy from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Sumy City Council announced this.
09.44 The aggressor country Russia has illegally seized the USSR's place in the UN Security Council and is using it for disinformation and manipulation, and is similar to Moscow's False Dmitry. This was stated by Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN Andriy Melnyk at a meeting of the Security Council convened at the request of the Russian Federation, Ukrinform reported.
09.19 On Saturday night, Russia attacked Ukraine with 124 attack drones of various types from six directions. Air defense units destroyed most of the enemy targets, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
09.01 The aggressor country Russia has put opposition figure and 13th world chess champion Garry Kasparov on the international wanted list, TASS reported.
Garry Kasparov is accused of justifying terrorism on the Internet and violating the rules of a foreign agent.
08.29 Over the past 24 hours, 216 combat clashes took place on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational briefing on Saturday morning.
The hottest area remains the Pokrovsky direction, where units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled more than 40 Russian assaults per day.
07.33 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupation army has lost 950 servicemen killed and wounded on the front in Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational briefing this morning.
03.30 Co-founder of the OSINT community DeepState Roman Pohoriliy announced the complete occupation of Pokrovsk and Myrnograd in Donetsk region. The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Donetsk People's Army denied this information, stating that the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to defend Pokrovsk and hold some positions on the northern outskirts of the city.
00.50 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that ten drones were allegedly shot down on the outskirts of the capital. Flight restrictions have been introduced at all the capital's airports.
00.22 Drones attacked Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. A fire broke out in the area of the port, where the oil terminal is located.
The enemy carried out 55 air strikes, dropped 176 guided bombs. In addition, it engaged 4,177 kamikaze drones for destruction and carried out 1,954 attacks on settlements and positions of our troops.
[Korrespondent] The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published operational information regarding the Russian invasion as of 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 23.
In total, 173 combat clashes have occurred since the beginning of this day.
The enemy carried out 55 air strikes, dropped 176 guided bombs. In addition, it engaged 4,177 kamikaze drones for destruction and carried out 1,954 attacks on settlements and positions of our troops.
One clash took place today in the North Slobozhansk and Kursk directions. The enemy carried out 50 attacks on settlements and positions of our troops.
In the South Slobozhansky direction, the enemy stormed the positions of our units in the Petro-Ivanivka and Starytsia areas three times. One clash is ongoing.
No enemy offensive actions were recorded in the Kupyansk direction today.
In the Lyman direction, Ukrainian soldiers repelled five attempts by the invaders to advance in the areas of the settlements of Yampil, Lyman, Zarichne, Dibrova, and Ozerne.
In the Slavyansk direction, the Defense Forces successfully repelled two attempts by the invaders to advance in the areas of the settlements of Zakitne and Kryva Luka.
The enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Kramatorsk direction.
The defense forces repelled 14 enemy assaults in the Kostyantynivka direction near the settlements of Pleshchiivka, Ivanopillya, Kostyantynivka, Stepanivka, Illinivka, Toretske, Kucheriv Yar, and Sofiivka. One clash is still ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy carried out 36 attacks. The occupiers tried to advance in the areas of the settlements of Rodynske, Novooleksandrivka, Hryshyne, Serhiivka, Udachne, Molodetske and towards the settlements of Shevchenko, Bilytske, Novopavlivka. One clash is still ongoing.
According to preliminary estimates, today in this direction 48 occupiers were eliminated and 12 wounded; three units of enemy vehicles and eight units of special equipment, one UAV control point were destroyed, five units of vehicles and four guns were damaged. 190 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types were destroyed or suppressed.
On the Oleksandrivka direction, the enemy attacked once in the Ternovo area.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:35 Soldiers of the 59th Tank Regiment Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Armed Forces destroyed reconnaissance officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 21:06 Ukrainian UAV strike on the very center of Luhansk,video.
According to local authorities, two civilians were injured, but it appears the attack was more of a showpiece.
19:53 Mobile fire teams of the "West" group passed intensive counter-UAV training.
19:33 A Ukrainian Armed Forces drone attacked the center of Luhansk, wounding two people
"While the Republic suffers a monstrous blow to a student dormitory in Starobilsk, neo-Nazis continue to strike peaceful cities. A Ukrainian Armed Forces drone attacked the very center of Luhansk. It was a place where young people gather, where parents with small children stroll. A popular coffee shop is located nearby. The drone detonated near a pharmacy and a flower shop. Two people sustained minor injuries and were quickly hospitalized," the regional governor wrote on his channel on Max.
17:57 Russian intelligence received information about another attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to transport a combat group in an armored vehicle to the area of the village of Yurchenkovo (Volchansky district).
FPV drone operators from the 71st Guards Motorized Rifle Division and the 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Guards "North" engaged the target and destroyed the Turkish "Kirpi" armored fighting vehicle with a series of precision strikes.video.
17:11 in the Korenevsky district wounded a 59-year-old man
A tragic incident occurred in the village of Sheptukhovka—a resident stepped on a mine. His right foot was severed, and he also suffered a closed fracture of the tibia on the same leg. Shrapnel also pierced his thigh, shoulder, and left leg. He has already been taken to the Kursk Regional Hospital, where our doctors are doing everything they can.
16:34 The death toll from the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on a college in Starobilsk increased the Ministry of Emergency's Situations reports that the death toll has reached 18. Rescuers say there may be three more people under the rubble.
16:07 Crews of the Molniya-2 UAV of the Sever group smashed to pieces strongholds and fortified dugouts with enemy personnel in the Khar'kov region.
Drone operators from the Center group rammed heavy hexacopters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Dnipropetrovsk and Dobropillya directions.
FPV drone crews from the Southern Group of Forces thwarted an enemy rotation attempt in the Konstantinovka area.
Attack drone operators from the Vostok group destroyed advancing Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Zaporizhzhia region.
15:47 From 9:00 to 14:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on dutyinterceptedand 42 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type were destroyed over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Tula regions, the Moscow region, Perm Krai and the Republic of Crimea.
14:41 Investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee will investigate facts of criminal actions by Ukrainian armed forces against civilians in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
14:01 Published lists of those killed and injured in the Starobelsk tragedy, as well as the names of those whose whereabouts have not yet been determined. The overwhelming majority of the dead and injured were students aged 15 to 22.
13:16 Summary of the Ministry of Defense on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of May 23, 2026
Units of the "North" force group improved their tactical position. They defeated the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized and airmobile brigades and the territorial defense brigade near the villages of Tolstodubovo, Ivolzhanske, Khrapovshchina, and Proletarske in Sumy Oblast.
In the Khar'kov region, the formations of the mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Rubizhne and Izbitskoye in the Khar'kov region.
The enemy lost up to 190 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, 17 cars, two artillery pieces and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the "West" force group occupied more advantageous positions and lines. They defeated the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades and an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlements of Studenok, Peski-Radkovsky, and Chervony Oskol in the Khar'kov region and Lozove in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 230 servicemen, 22 armored combat vehicles, including a US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, 19 vehicles, and two artillery pieces.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their position along the forward edge. They defeated formations of two mechanized brigades, a mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade near the settlements of Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, Podolskoye, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 170 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, 14 cars, four field artillery pieces and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the "Center" force group occupied more advantageous positions and lines. They defeated the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, an assault brigade, an airborne assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, and two National Guard brigades near the settlements of Shevchenko, Dobropillya, Belozerske, Serhiivka, and Raiske in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Novopidgorodne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 290 servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, nine cars and six field artillery pieces.
Units of the "East" force group continued their advance into the enemy's defensive lines. They defeated the personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, three airborne assault brigades, a Ukrainian assault regiment, and a naval infantry brigade near the settlements of Malomykhaylovka, Prosyanaya, Zarechnoye, and Pokrovskoe in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Rivne, Lyubitske, Zelena Dibrova, and Voskresenka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 280 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, and nine cars.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and the naval infantry brigades in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov and Grigorovka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Up to 50 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, 12 cars and an electronic warfare station were destroyed.
12:59 In the area of the village of Bublikovo (Belopolsky district of the Sumy region), Russian intelligence uncovered the location of an artillery crew of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that carried out indiscriminate strikes in the direction of the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region, video.
12:26 Operational-tactical aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the troop groups of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted the destruction of Ukrainian military industry enterprises, energy facilities used in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, assembly shops and storage sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 142 districts.
11:58 According to updated information, yesterday an enemy drone attacked a private house near the village of Podol, Sudzhansky district, Kursk region.
The impact caused the house to catch fire. A local resident, Pelageya Nikolaevna, was killed. She was 67 years old.
10:39 Destruction of an American armored personnel carrier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Velykoburluk direction,video.
09:23 From 7:00 to 9:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 17 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk and Ryazan regions.
07:25 In the period from 20:00 Moscow time on May 22 to 7:00 Moscow time on May 23, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 348 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Tula regions, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Moscow region and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
06:28 Force Group "North" continued creation of a safety zone in the Khar'kov and Sumy regions.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Sweden must return to Russia the Russian Imperial Navy submarine Som, which sank more than 100 years ago off the coast of the kingdom. This was announced on May 23 by the Russian Embassy in Sweden.
"We hope that one day the Som submarine will return to Russia and become part of its historical and museum heritage, and that the submarine's perished crew will finally find their final resting place in their native land," the diplomatic mission's website stated.
The diplomatic mission added that the submarine, built in the early 20th century and launched in 1904, is one of the oldest surviving submarines and is of great value to the world's technical heritage. "surviving"
From 2015 to 2021, Russian and Swedish organizations discussed the possibility of raising the submarine, restoring it, and donating it to a museum, as well as reburying the remains of the deceased sailors. The fate of the Soma was also discussed in 2019 during talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
The submarine was discovered in July 2015 off the coast of Grislehamn. The Swedish company Ocean X Team found it 3 km off the coast of the kingdom. A Cyrillic inscription suggested that the vessel belonged to Russians. Russian and Swedish experts agreed that the find is approximately 100 years old and is none other than the submarine "Som." It sank off the coast of Sweden during a combat mission in the Åland Sea during World War I on May 10 (May 23, New Style), 1916, after colliding with the Swedish steamship "Ångermanland." There were 18 crew members on board, led by the commander, Lieutenant Khrisanf Bugurayev. All sailors perished.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated Russia's readiness to launch a submarine recovery project.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/24/2026 10:45 Comments ||
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#2
Time limit to claim the salvage Article 23 of the 1989 Convention provides for a two-year limit to commence judicial or arbitration proceedings arising from a salvage claim. The limitation commences on the date on which the salvage operations are terminated. During the two-year period, an extension of time can be agreed by parties. An action for indemnity by a person liable may be instituted after the expiration of the limitation period with the assumption that it is brought within the time allowed by the states in which the proceedings are brought.
However, if the ship is not saved and the loss was due to the salvor's negligence, the time limit to bring action against the salvor will be based on the tort of negligence.
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