Musk says measures to block Russian use of Starlink appear effective

Elon Musk said on Sunday that steps taken by SpaceX to prevent Russia from using its Starlink satellite internet system without authorization appear to be working, as Ukrainian officials said they are pushing ahead with further safeguards to stop any future misuse.

Ukraine’s military depends on tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for frontline communications and to control some drone operations. However, Ukrainian officials said earlier this week that they had discovered Starlink equipment on long-range drones used by Russia in recent attacks.

Kyiv said it is coordinating closely with SpaceX to prevent Russian forces from using the service to guide drones.

“Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have worked,” Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, wrote on X. “Let us know if more needs to be done.”

In a separate statement on Sunday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is developing a system that would allow only approved Starlink terminals to operate within the country.

“Ukraine, together with @Starlink, has already taken the first steps that delivered rapid results in countering Russian drones,” Fedorov said in a post on X. “The next step is implementing a system that will allow only authorized terminals to operate on the territory of Ukraine.”

SpaceX has previously said it does not sell or ship Starlink equipment to Russia and does not conduct any business with the Russian government or its military.

Musk activated Starlink services over Ukraine in 2022, following urgent requests from Kyiv in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, helping to restore communications as infrastructure came under attack.