Ukraine's Defence Ministry and SpaceX working to address appearance of Starlink on Russian drones
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, together with SpaceX, is already working on addressing the issue of Russian drones using Starlink.
Source: Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's Minister of Defence
Quote: "A few hours after Russian drones equipped with Starlink communications appeared over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defence team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed ways to resolve the issue."
Details: Meanwhile, Fedorov thanked SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and Elon Musk for their swift response and for beginning work on resolving the situation.
Quote: "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 the resilience of our state. Western technologies must continue to help the democratic world and protect civilians, rather than be used for terror and the destruction of peaceful cities."
Background:
- On 16 January, Fedorov's adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov reported that a Russian BM-35 drone being controlled via Starlink satellite internet had been discovered for the first time.
- In addition, the use of Starlink was also recorded on Russian Molniya-type UAVs. However, the appearance of such a control channel on other types of drones indicates the further development of Russian strike systems.
- On the same day, 16 January, Beskrestnov stressed that it is only a matter of time before Shahed drones switch to Starlink. He suggested that this could happen in days rather than months.
- On 25 January, Beskrestnov reported that Russian forces had likely used a Shahed loitering munition operated via Starlink satellite internet near Kropyvnytskyi.
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