SpaceX restricts UAF drone access to Starlink network

The American corporation SpaceX has limited the use of the Starlink satellite communications system to control Ukrainian drones, said company president Gwynne Shotwell. transmits Reuters.

At a press conference, she said that the use of Starlink by the Ukrainian military “as a weapon” was not part of the terms of the agreement.

“We know that the military uses them for communication, and this is normal. But it was never our intention for them to use them offensively,” Shotwell said.

According to her, the company’s agreement with the government of Ukraine implied humanitarian goals, including the provision of broadband Internet access to hospitals, banks and families affected by the fighting. SpaceX has already taken action to limit the use of Starlink for drones, Shotwell added.

By data Associated Press at the end of 2022, since the beginning of the conflict, Kyiv received about 24,000 Starlink terminals. In December 2022, Bloomberg, citing the Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov, wrote that SpaceX and its head Elon Musk would send about 10,000 more Starlink terminals to Ukraine.

Formerly at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation spokethat if the satellites were used for military purposes, they could become “legitimate targets” of Russia. The White House warned Moscow about retaliatory actions and said that they would continue to use their funds in Ukraine.