The US Department of Defense has found a way to disable Starlink for the Russian military
The Pentagon has found a way to block Russian military users of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communication terminals.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
The head of the US Department of Defense’s Space Policy Division says the Pentagon has found a way to prevent the Russian military from using Starlink Internet terminals without authorization.
“The United States has been actively working with the government of Ukraine and SpaceX to counter Russia’s illegal use of Starlink terminals,” said John Plumb, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy.
The United States already opposes the use of Stralink terminals by the Russian military, but Plumb believes that Russia is trying to circumvent these restrictions.
“Although it will continue to be a challenge, I think we have already dealt with it and found good solutions with both Starlink and Ukraine,” he said.
Plumb declined to specify what tactics, methods, or procedures were being used to counter Russian use of Stralink.
Problems with Starlink in Ukraine
On February 9, 2023, Militarny reported that SpaceX had taken measures to prevent the Ukrainian military from using the Starlink satellite Internet service to control drones in the region during the war with Russia.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Internet service, which provided the Ukrainian army with satellite communications to protect it from the Russian army, “was never intended to be used as a weapon,” said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX.
According to Shotwell, the use of Starlink with drones goes beyond the agreement that SpaceX has signed with the Ukrainian government.
Later, in September 2023, it was reported that Elon Musk had transferred control of some of the Starlink satellite communication terminals used by the Defense Forces to the Pentagon. The reason for this decision was the desire to distance themselves from responsibility related to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In February of this year, it was reported that Starlink terminals were being used by Russian occupation forces. Businessman Elon Musk reacts to reports that the Russian army is using Starlink terminals in the war with Ukraine. Musk called this information “false,” saying that his company SpaceX does not sell these satellite Internet terminals to Russia.
Alternative to Stralink
In early April, it was reported that the largest Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar would be the official representative of the British company OneWeb in Ukraine.
This was stated by Kyivstar B2B Director Kostiantyn Vechir at the Business Wisdom Summit.
OneWeb owns a constellation of satellites to provide broadband Internet connectivity and is an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink.
