Ukraine is actively seeking intervention from SpaceX, the aerospace company led by Elon Musk, to halt the use of Starlink communication terminals by Russian forces in occupied territories, as stated by a Ukrainian minister. The appeal underscores the strategic importance of Starlink terminals, which were swiftly deployed to support Ukraine following the invasion by Russia in February 2022, playing a crucial role in the communication strategies of Kyiv’s armed forces.
Despite Starlink’s public stance of not engaging in business with the Russian government or military forces, reports have emerged, notably from Ukraine’s military intelligence head, Kyrylo Budanov, indicating that Russian troops have acquired thousands of Starlink terminals through third-party purchases facilitated by private Russian entities.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, in a conversation with Suspilne, a public television network, revealed that Ukraine had approached SpaceX for a solution to this issue prior to the widespread acknowledgment of Russia’s utilization of the terminals. Fedorov highlighted ongoing discussions with SpaceX aimed at implementing measures to prevent misuse of the technology, drawing parallels to similar actions taken by SpaceX in coordination with the Israeli government.
Ukraine’s request to SpaceX involves ensuring the functionality of Starlink terminals for its purposes, particularly for technologies related to drone operations, while disabling access for adversarial use. Fedorov emphasized the collaborative efforts with SpaceX to develop a strategy that maintains operational integrity for Ukrainian forces while restricting access to Russian military users.
