Ukrainian Defense Minister says efforts to block Russia from accessing Starlink satellites it uses to control drones have already yielded tangible results, BBC reports.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called SpaceX founder Elon Musk a true defender of freedom and a true friend of Ukrainians. The minister said Musk had been quick to respond to Ukrainian allegations that Russians were using Starlink-connected drones in warfare. Starlink-connected drones have also been linked to recent attacks, including a passenger train attack that killed six people.
Musk wrote on X that it appears that steps taken to stop unauthorized use of Starlink have worked, and he is ready to do more, if necessary.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites provide high-speed internet and have been operating in Ukraine since 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Fedorov said that
Russian drones are difficult to shoot down because they fly low, cannot be intercepted by electronic means
and are controlled remotely in real time. The Institute for War Studies (ISW) warned in mid-January that Russia had begun using Starlink to control its cheap Molniya-2 drones, which would significantly increase the effectiveness of warfare. Although neither Fedorov nor Musk specified what exactly had been done, the official website of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, ArmiyaInform, reported that SpaceX had introduced a speed limit for satellites moving over Ukrainian territory. Since the Russian drones move faster than satellites, the enemy was deprived of the opportunity to control them in real time.
Fedorov said on the 2nd of February that the government was preparing to introduce a list of Starlink terminals that would be allowed to operate in Ukraine, while all unregistered terminals would be disabled. This was being done in cooperation with SpaceX, and the minister added that instructions would be issued for the registration of terminals.
Russian military observers have warned that it was not just drones that could be affected, as the Russian army uses Starlink to provide internet connectivity on the front lines.
Fedorov, who was then deputy prime minister, asked Musk for help soon after the war began. Musk informed him after the talks that Starlink had started operating in Ukraine and promised additional satellite dishes. However, soon after the satellite internet was provided, Musk’s relations with Kiev became complicated. In the second half of 2022, he denied Ukrainian forces access to Starlink in Crimea, where Russia has been deploying military equipment since 2014, when it annexed the peninsula. At the time, Musk said that
Ukraine could use satellite internet to sink most of the Russian fleet,
which would make SpaceX a direct participant in the war. Since then, Musk has often criticized Western countries for supplying Ukraine with weapons and funding, saying it was madness to give Ukraine so much money without accountability and without a plan to end the war. At the same time, the billionaire stressed that, despite other opinions, the Starlink internet would not be turned off. In March 2025, Musk said that Starlink is the backbone of the Ukrainian army, and if it were turned off, the entire front line would collapse.
Despite the tensions, Fedorov in late January praised Musk’s decision to give the country access to satellite internet at the beginning of a full-scale war, noting that Starlink is critical to Ukraine’s stability.
Fedorov, who was appointed defense minister in January, favors a data-driven strategy and cyber warfare. He has pledged to work closely with Silicon Valley companies, saying that bringing in partners will make Ukraine’s defense system stronger.
Read also: New Dutch government wants to save NATO