---
title: "Information blockade at the front: Relatives of 121st TrO brigade soldiers report communication blackout after complaint about hunger"
description: "🚨 Scandal on the Zaporizhzhia direction: relatives of 121st TrO brigade soldiers report that military personnel who complained about hunger and lack of rotation were deprived of communication. Starlink terminals confiscated, fighters cut off from the outside world. Command explains the situation with EW work and security. 🇺🇦📡 #Ukraine #War #121Brigade #TrO #Drapaty #Starlink"
date: 2026-08-15T15:31:55.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/information-blockade-121-tro-brigade-communication-blackout
tags: [ukraine-war, military, 121-brigade, starlink, logistics, drahatyi]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Information blockade at the front: Relatives of 121st TrO brigade soldiers report communication blackout after complaint about hunger

![Soldiers of the 121st TR Brigade in a field tent — after reporting hunger, their communication was cut off, confirming an information blockade at the front](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/15/informatsionnaya-blokada-121-brigada-tro-otklyuchenie-svyazi/informatsionnaya-blokada-121-brigada-tro-otklyuchenie-svyazi-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Relatives of 121st TrO brigade soldiers report communication blackout after complaint about lack of water and food.
- Platoon commander Anatoliy Sashchuk publicly declared a forced withdrawal due to critical conditions.
- Command explains supply delays with Russian EW work and promises imminent rotation.
- The question of Starlink confiscation remains without official comment from the General Staff.

August 15, 2026 — Relatives of soldiers from the 121st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade (TrO) report the imposition of a strict information isolation on the unit, whose fighters publicly declared a critical lack of humanitarian aid. The situation is unfolding on the Zaporizhzhia direction, where, according to relatives, the command cut off a fire support platoon from the outside world immediately after a resonant video appeal to the Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapaty.

### Timeline of events: from video appeal to silence

The trigger for the current situation was a video published on August 10, in which the commander of the fire support platoon, Lieutenant Anatoliy Sashchuk, described the position of his subordinates. According to him, the fighters had been holding positions for the fourth month instead of the promised one. Sashchuk reported a logistics breakdown due to the work of Russian electronic warfare (EW) and intense shelling: water and food had not been delivered for 3 to 12 days. In his appeal, the commander stated the decision to withdraw personnel from positions to save lives, as the fighters were in a state of extreme exhaustion.

According to information received from Tatyana Kravchuk, the sister of Lieutenant Sashchuk, starting Tuesday, August 11, communication with the unit was completely severed. Relatives claim that Starlink satellite internet terminals, previously used for communication, were confiscated or software-blocked by order of the command. Military personnel are instructed to use only closed field radios.

### Relatives' version: "Digital strangulation" to prevent disclosure

In a comment to the "Suspilne" publication, Tatyana Kravchuk expressed confidence that measures to restrict communication were taken intentionally. According to her, this was done to prevent further leaks of information about problems with supply and rotation. "This is done specifically so that no more information is disseminated. The command is afraid of publicity," the soldier's relative stated.

The only confirmation that the fighters are alive was a short audio intercepted on August 13 from brother units. The message stated that food supply had been restored, however, access to the internet remains blocked. Kravchuk also noted that similar cases of communication restrictions occur in other units, but soldiers are afraid to speak about it publicly due to fear of disciplinary liability.

[](/en/images/information-blockade-121-tro-brigade-communication-blackout-2)

### Official position of the command: Logistics and security

The Command of the Southern Defense Forces and the leadership of the 121st Brigade were forced to comment on the situation. In an official statement, the command confirmed that 240 kg of food had been delivered to the brigade's positions in the last month. Delays in logistics are explained by the round-the-clock activity of Russian FPV drones, which destroy vehicles, as well as the impact of electronic warfare means.

Regarding rotation, the "South" operational command promised to conduct a unit change as soon as possible, as soon as the situation on the front allows this to be done safely, without exposing soldiers to risk during withdrawal. At the same time, the situation with the disconnection of satellite internet is not commented on in the official reports of the General Staff and the brigade, citing the "specifics of the operational situation" and the need to maintain the secrecy regime of troop management.

### Contradictory data

There is a clear discrepancy in the versions of the parties regarding the reasons for the lack of communication. On the one hand, relatives of soldiers insist that Starlink terminals were confiscated as a punitive measure for a public statement about problems with supply. On the other hand, the command does not recognize the fact of an administrative ban on the use of communication, pointing to technical and operational difficulties. There is also no official confirmation or denial of facts that soldiers were forced to drink their own urine, although the command admits difficulties with water delivery.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why was communication cut off for the soldiers of the 121st Brigade?
**A:** Relatives claim that communication was cut off intentionally after a public complaint about the lack of supplies. The command officially does not comment on the reasons, citing the operational situation.

### Q: What did Commander Drapaty answer?
**A:** The Command of the Southern Defense Forces stated that food was delivered and promised to conduct a unit rotation as soon as the security situation allows.

### Q: Are the soldiers of Sashchuk's platoon alive?
**A:** Relatives received confirmation of the soldiers' lives through an intercepted radio message on August 13, which stated that supplies had been restored.