Russian troops are using Starlink systems for drone strikes deep into Ukraine. Now Elon Musk is reacting with the first measures.
02/02/2026, 3:01 p.m02/02/2026, 3:01 p.m
The company SpaceX by tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk has reportedly taken measures to prevent the use of Starlink satellites for Russian drone attacks. The Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on Sunday in the online service X: “The first measures are already having an effect.”
Image: keystone
Musk himself had previously written: “It appears that the measures we have taken to prevent unauthorized use of Starlink through Russia to prevent it worked.” He added to Kiev: “Let us know if further measures are necessary.”
Starlink terminals are being checked
The Starlink satellite network is operated by SpaceX. According to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, the government is working in Kyiv and SpaceX are working “very closely” together to take “important measures soon”. Among other things, those in the Ukraine Starlink terminals located in Ukraine can be registered by Ukrainian users in order to then be verified. All “unverified terminals” should subsequently be switched off.
In the past few weeks, first the in Washington The Institute for War Studies (ISW) and later Fedorov announced that the Russian army was using Starlink satellites to guide its drones deep into Ukrainian territory. On Thursday, the Defense Ministry in Kiev announced that it had contacted Musk.
The Ukrainian army also often uses Starlink for its communications. If the entire Starlink satellite network in the region were switched off, the Ukrainian army would no longer be able to use it. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Russian army’s Starlink terminals were obtained through unofficial channels such as imports from third countries, rather than through an official sale by Musk’s company.
Ukrainian soldier with Starlink device (archive image): According to reports, Russian units also had access to the Starlink system.Image: www.imago-images.de
Defense Minister Fedorower wrote in Musk’s direction: “Thank you for supporting us. You are a true defender of freedom and a true friend of the Ukrainian people.”
Sudden failure at the front
About six months ago, things looked different. The Reuters news agency reported that SpaceX suddenly restricted the services of its Starlink satellites during a critical Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kherson region in the first year of the war in 2022. On the front lines, the armed forces lost connection to their communication channels, and it was also temporarily no longer possible to control drones.
In the past, Musk has always denied switching the Starlink services on and off at will. In an earlier incident, he publicly commented on the allegations: “Let me be clear: no matter how much I disagree with Ukraine policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals,” Musk wrote on X in March.
According to Reuters sources, Musk’s decision was based on fears that a successful Ukrainian move could provoke a Russian nuclear response.