SpaceX began blocking Starlink for Russian drones
Kyiv • UNN
SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, at the request of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, is taking measures against the use of Starlink terminals by Russians for drone strikes. These actions are aimed at protecting Ukrainian military personnel, civilians, and infrastructure from threats posed by enemy UAVs.
Elon Musk's SpaceX, at the request of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, has begun taking the first countermeasures against the use of Starlink terminals by Russians for drone attacks. This was reported by Serhiy Beskrestnov (call sign "Flash"), an advisor to the head of the department on technological issues, according to UNN.
Details
According to him, he cannot "publicly announce everything that has already been done, is being done, and will be done."
But all these actions are aimed at one goal: protecting the residents of our country (both military and civilian) and our infrastructure facilities from the threat posed by enemy attack UAVs.
He emphasized that the current solutions are temporary and will be replaced by a "global, well-thought-out solution that will take us time."
"Also, it's long overdue to collect all information across the country regarding SpaceX service users in the Army. I won't hide it, such attempts have already been made, but many soldiers who use volunteer Starlinks and personal Starlinks did not want to submit information to the command. Suddenly the commander will take it away, or a new one won't give it, or something else. ... I once again apologize to those who were temporarily affected by the measures taken, but for the security of the country, these are very important and necessary actions right now," added "Flash."
Context
Recently, Ukrainian specialists discovered a Starlink terminal on board a downed Russian BM-35 drone. This allows operators to control the device over long distances, making it almost invulnerable to electronic warfare.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine contacted SpaceX to resolve the issue of Starlink use on Russian drones. Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Elon Musk for his quick response and for starting work on the situation.
The integration of SpaceX satellite communication into the drone's design allows operators to control the device in real-time over vast distances.