Drones equipped with Starlink have reliable online control, fly at low altitudes, making them difficult to detect, and are immune to electronic warfare.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which supplies the Ukrainian Armed Forces with Starlink satellite communications systems, has, at the request of the Ukrainian side, imposed a limit on the maximum speed of the terminals—up to 100 km/h (according to some sources, up to 70 km/h). This is reported by Korrespondent.net, informing PromPolitInform.
This is Ukraine’s response to the Russian military’s massive purchase of terminals from third countries (Starlink and its service do not operate in Russia) and their installation on their drones—Molniya, BM-35, and Gerani/Shahed—which are used, among other things, for strikes deep in the rear. Drones equipped with Starlink have reliable online control, fly at low altitudes, making them difficult to detect, and are immune to electronic warfare jamming.
Fedorov’s Solution
The speed limit makes installing Starlinks on drones pointless. Stationary terminals continue to operate for now, but soon, according to the new Ukrainian Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, all terminals that have not been verified and are not whitelisted will be blocked.
«The next step is to implement a system that will allow only authorized terminals to operate in Ukraine. In the coming days, we will publish instructions for Ukrainian users on registering Starlink for verification. Unverified terminals will be disabled,» – the minister wrote.
«Judging by the enemy’s activity in this matter, problems with Starlink may arise in the near future!» – the enemy responded.
Starlink Whitelist
«The Starlink registration process for Ukrainians will be as simple as possible,» – Fedorov assured. To do this, you need to visit the nearest Administrative Services Center (ASC).
For businesses, according to Mykhailo Fedorov, the verification process for Starlink terminals will also be simple—online on the Diia portal.
«Military personnel don’t need to contact the ASC—the Defense Forces already have a separate secure channel in place via DELTA. You also don’t need to register your own terminals with your military unit or share account information,» – the minister explained.
Musk chimed in
Musk responded that he was happy to help Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov resolve the issue of Starlink use on Russian drones. «It appears that the measures we’ve taken to stop Russia’s unauthorized use of Starlink have been effective. Let us know if further action is needed,» – Elon Musk wrote on Sunday, February 1, on social media.
