Information
Ukraine is working with SpaceX to address reports that Russian forces are using Starlink satellite internet systems to control long-range drones attacking Ukrainian targets. Ukraine’s defence minister said the government is in contact with SpaceX leadership, thanking company president Gwynne Shotwell and Elon Musk for responding quickly. A defence ministry adviser, Serhiy Beskrestnov, shared images of downed Russian drones fitted with Starlink equipment and claimed there had been hundreds of such attacks. Officials warned that Starlink’s resistance to signal jamming makes it especially effective for manually guiding drones.
Starlink plays a crucial role for Ukraine, which relies on tens of thousands of terminals for battlefield communication and drone operations. The system has been widely used because of its stable connection and reliability under electronic warfare. SpaceX activated Starlink service in Ukraine in 2022 following appeals from Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion, and the company does not officially provide service in Russia. Ukrainian authorities are now seeking ways to prevent the system from being exploited by Russian forces.
Source: Reuters
So What
This will be an exceptional challenge, as Ukraine relies heavily on SpaceX for multiple critical roles, making it difficult to block only the terminals used by Russia without disrupting its own operations. One possible solution could involve a “whitelist” system in which all Ukrainian terminals are registered and approved while others are blocked, but implementing this on such a large scale would be complex and resource-intensive. Despite these difficulties, pursuing such measures is likely worthwhile, given how effective long-range drones have become when equipped with Starlink terminals and the serious threat they pose on the battlefield.
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