SpaceX’s Starlink is working with Ukraine’s armed forces to counteract Russian drones using the satellite internet system to strike targets deep inside Ukrainian territory, a military-focused think tank says.
Moscow is increasingly relying on Starlink to increase the range of drones while boosting resilience against Ukrainian electronic warfare tactics, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
“The reported 500-kilometer range of Starlink-equipped BM-35 drones places most of Ukraine, all of Moldova, and parts of Poland, Romania, and Lithuania in range of these drones if launched from Russia or occupied Ukraine,” the ISW said.
Russian forces on Monday reportedly used a Starlink-equipped BM-35 drone to strike Dnipro City, more than 50 miles from the frontline.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Thursday that Kyiv contacted SpaceX within hours to propose ways to solve the issue.
“Grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and personally to [SpaceX CEO] Elon Musk for the quick response and the start of work on resolving the situation,” Mr. Federov posted on Telegram.
He did not offer specifics on what support SpaceX is providing to counteract the Russian use of Starlink.
“Elon Musk’s decision to urgently turn on Starlink and send the first batch of terminals to Ukraine at the beginning of a full-scale invasion became critically important for the stability of our state,” Mr. Federov said.
Ukrainian officials said Russia may have used a Shahed loitering attack drone equipped with the Starlink system on June 25 in a strike on Kropyvnytskyi, a city in central Ukraine that serves as the administrative center of the Kirovohrad Oblast.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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