Elon Musk Says SpaceX Blocked Russia’s Unauthorized Use of Starlink for Drone Attacks

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said on Sunday that measures taken by his company to stop Russia’s “unauthorized” use of the Starlink satellite internet network appear to have been effective. His remarks came as senior Ukrainian officials confirmed that Kyiv is working closely with SpaceX to further restrict the system’s misuse in the ongoing war.

The comments follow disclosures by the Ukrainian military earlier this week that Starlink terminals were found on long-range drones deployed by Russian forces. This revelation raised fresh concerns, as Ukraine itself relies heavily on tens of thousands of Starlink connections for secure battlefield communications, command coordination, and certain drone operations.

In response to the discovery, Ukrainian authorities announced that they were coordinating with SpaceX to block Russia’s access to the satellite internet service and prevent its use in guiding drone strikes.

“It appears that the actions we took to prevent Russia from using Starlink without authorization were successful,” Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Let us know if more needs to be done,” he added, signaling SpaceX’s willingness to take further steps if required.

In a separate statement on Sunday, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation and a key figure overseeing defense-related technology, said Kyiv is now working on a more robust technical solution to ensure tighter control over Starlink operations.

“Ukraine, together with @Starlink, has already taken the first steps that delivered rapid results in countering Russian drones,” Fedorov posted on X. “The next step is implementing a system that will allow only authorised terminals to operate on the territory of Ukraine.”

The proposed system would effectively limit Starlink access to verified and approved users, reducing the risk of Russian forces exploiting the network for military purposes inside Ukrainian territory.

SpaceX has consistently denied any involvement with Moscow. In a statement posted on Social Media in February 2024, the company said it “does not do business of any kind with the Russian government or its military” and stressed that it neither sells nor ships Starlink equipment to Russia.

Starlink has played a crucial role in Ukraine’s war effort since 2022, when Musk activated the service over the country following urgent requests from Kyiv in the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The satellite network quickly became a backbone of Ukraine’s digital resilience, enabling communications even when traditional infrastructure was damaged or destroyed.

The latest developments highlight both the strategic importance of satellite internet in modern warfare and the growing efforts by Ukraine and its partners to prevent advanced civilian technologies from being repurposed by hostile forces.