Ukraine and SpaceX seek solution to Russian drones using Starlink

According to him, just a few hours after Russian drones equipped with Starlink communication appeared over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defense team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed ways to address this problem.

Fedorov thanked SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, as well as the company’s founder, American billionaire Elon Musk, for their swift response and for starting work on a solution.

The minister noted that Elon Musk’s decision to urgently activate Starlink and send the first batch of terminals to Ukraine at the beginning of the full-scale invasion was critically important for Ukraine’s resilience.

"Western technology must continue to help the democratic world and protect civilians, rather than being used for terror and the destruction of peaceful cities," he added.

What preceded this

Western media recently reported that Russia is increasingly using Starlink on drones to bypass Ukraine’s air defense systems.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also pointed out that Russian forces are installing Starlink systems on their Molniya-2 strike drones.

On January 27, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov officially confirmed that Russian troops have begun using drones equipped with Starlink systems.

Earlier, Defense Ministry adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov stated that BM-35 strike drones with Starlink are already capable of reaching the city of Dnipro.

According to him, unlike Molniya-type UAVs, these drones are fuel-powered and have a flight range of up to 500 kilometers.

In this context, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly called on Elon Musk to ban the use of Starlink satellites for Russia’s military strikes against Ukraine.

He also warned that profiting from war crimes could damage the SpaceX brand.

Elon Musk responded sharply to Sikorski’s call to restrict Russia’s use of Starlink in the war against Ukraine.