KYIV: Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Thursday Kyiv was in contact with Elon Musk’s SpaceX over allegations that Russian drones were using Internet from Starlink satellites during attacks on Ukrainian cities.
“Within hours of Russian drones with Starlink connectivity appearing over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defense team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed ways to resolve the problem,” Fedorov said on social media.
“I’m grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and personally to Elon Musk for their swift response.”
Fedorov and the US-based Institute for the Study of War said earlier this week that the Russian army used Starlink satellites to guide its drone attacks deep into Ukraine.
Russia has been battering the country’s energy grid as temperatures tumble below freezing and the invasion’s fourth anniversary looms.
The ISW said that “Russian forces are increasingly using Starlink satellite systems to extend the range of BM-35 strike drones to conduct mid-range strikes against the Ukrainian rear.”
Starlink is also widely used by the Ukrainian army for communications.
“Elon Musk’s decision to urgently activate Starlink and send the first batch of terminals to Ukraine at the start of the full-scale invasion was critically important for our country’s resilience,” Fedorov said.
“Western technologies must continue to support the democratic world and protect civilians, not be used for terror and the destruction of peaceful cities.”