SpaceX and the Pentagon join forces to stop Russian troops from using Starlink in Ukraine

Since the Ukrainian war began, Starlink played a crucial role in ensuring the region’s connectivity. SpaceX’s satellite internet came to the rescue when Russia sabotaged Ukrainian telecommunications services and quickly became an invaluable tool on the front lines. Although its use has also caused controversy, especially after various comments by Elon Musk.

Despite disagreements with the tycoon, the Department of Defense continues to work with SpaceX to protect and maintain Starlink operations in Ukraine. In an interview with BloombergJohn Plumb, the Pentagon’s outgoing undersecretary for space policy, confirmed that managed to block the unauthorized use of the service by Russian troops in the occupied territory of Ukraine..

Although the official noted that no implemented solution will likely be final, they have achieved good results in cooperation with SpaceX and Ukrainian authorities. “So far we have been successful in preventing Russian use, but I am confident that Russia will continue to try to find ways to use Starlink and other commercial communications systems,” he explained.

For logical reasons, Plumb did not specify how they were able to block Russia’s access to the satellite Internet. The use of Starlink by troops responding to the Kremlin has become a source of great controversy, especially after Elon Musk said he would not allow Ukraine to use it as a weapon. The businessman even admitted that he interrupted the service to avoid an attack by underwater drones on the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. According to the leader of SpaceX, Tesla and X (Twitter), he decided not to allow Vladimir Putin retaliate with nuclear weapons.

The US and SpaceX blocked the use of Starlink by the Russian military in Ukraine

Last February Mikhail FedorovUkraine’s digital transformation minister said Russian soldiers obtained thousands of Starlink antennas, which they used in occupied lands. Moreover, he showed that They proposed an algorithm to SpaceX this would allow illegal use of the connection to be blocked.

The official explained that the solution is very similar to the one implemented in Israel to prevent Hamas from using the service. In any case, it is unknown whether this method is the one currently implemented in cooperation with the Pentagon.

Starlink does not officially operate in Russia. However, antennas can be purchased through intermediaries and online stores that supply their goods to the black market. Access to satellite Internet is limited to the regions closest to Ukraine, and also requires a “fake” subscription. This is because those who use this service do so with accounts in the names of people living in European countries where it is available.

While Russian troops have taken advantage of Starlink, they also know that disrupting it It is extremely important to isolate Ukrainians. At the end of 2022, a Russian weapons manufacturer released a device to “hunt” Starlink antennas. It was supposed to be able to simultaneously detect up to 64 satellite Internet receivers at a distance of up to 10 kilometers.