On February 1, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced Ukraine has partnered with SpaceX to take initial steps against Russia's use of Starlink satellite internet for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control. Fedorov confirmed this effort quickly yielded results, though he did not elaborate. He added that the next phase involves deploying a system to ensure only registered and licensed terminals can operate on Ukrainian territory.

Minister Fedorov in a photo posted on January 9. *Photo: X/FedorovMykhailo*

According to Minister Fedorov, officials will release guidelines for authenticating Starlink devices for Ukrainian users in the coming days. Unauthenticated transceiver systems will be disconnected. "The registration process will be simple, fast, and convenient for users," he stated, expressing gratitude to SpaceX for their cooperation.

Elon Musk, SpaceX owner, confirmed that measures are underway to prevent Russia from using Starlink to control UAVs. "It seems the measures we have taken have been effective. Let us know if anything else needs to be done," Musk commented on X under a post by Fedorov.

Ukraine relies heavily on Starlink because conflict severely damaged its telecommunications infrastructure. It serves both civilian and military sectors, crucially ensuring communication among Ukrainian units and supporting long-range drone control.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), based in the US, reported that the Russian military equipped Geran and Molniya-2 suicide UAVs with Starlink transceivers from September 2024 and December 2025, respectively. Starlink connectivity helps Russian UAVs maintain better communication with operators and makes them difficult for Ukraine to jam.

Russian BM-35 UAV equipped with a Starlink transceiver (circled in red) in a photo posted on February 1. *Photo: BBC*

Russia recently increased its use of BM-35 suicide UAVs equipped with Starlink transceivers. These UAVs have a 500 km range and target valuable Ukrainian weapons, including Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS rocket artillery. Last week, Starlink-equipped BM-35s attacked targets deep behind Ukrainian lines, including two Su-27 heavy fighters and two F-16 training models. On January 26, they also conducted reconnaissance flights over Kyiv for several hours without being shot down.

*Pham Giang (Kyiv Post)*