Ukraine has announced a plan to block internet access for all unregistered Starlink terminals, in an effort to prevent Russian drones from using the satellite broadband network over Ukrainian territory. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, the country recently collaborated with SpaceX to stop strikes by Russian drones equipped with Starlink, and will now require residents to register their Starlink terminals to be added to a whitelist.
The move comes as Russia has been reportedly equipping its "strike and reconnaissance" drones with Starlink terminals, allowing for control and data transmission beyond line-of-sight constraints. Ukrainian forces had previously developed effective countermeasures against standard Molniya-2 drones, but newer versions equipped with Starlink are harder to counter.
The whitelist plan will require residents to make a single visit to the nearest Administrative Services Center, a process that Ukraine's Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov says will be "free, fast, and without excessive bureaucracy." Businesses will be able to verify their Starlink terminals online, while military personnel have separate systems for registration.
The integration of Starlink terminals in newer variants of the Molniya-2 drone has neutralized conventional electronic warfare methods used by Ukrainian air defense systems. Russian forces have reported numerous successful strikes against Ukrainian personnel and infrastructure using drones equipped with Starlink.
The move is seen as a necessary step to protect critical energy infrastructure and save lives, according to Fedorov. SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk has expressed support for Ukraine's efforts, saying that the company's steps to prevent unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have been effective.
The move comes as Russia has been reportedly equipping its "strike and reconnaissance" drones with Starlink terminals, allowing for control and data transmission beyond line-of-sight constraints. Ukrainian forces had previously developed effective countermeasures against standard Molniya-2 drones, but newer versions equipped with Starlink are harder to counter.
The whitelist plan will require residents to make a single visit to the nearest Administrative Services Center, a process that Ukraine's Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov says will be "free, fast, and without excessive bureaucracy." Businesses will be able to verify their Starlink terminals online, while military personnel have separate systems for registration.
The integration of Starlink terminals in newer variants of the Molniya-2 drone has neutralized conventional electronic warfare methods used by Ukrainian air defense systems. Russian forces have reported numerous successful strikes against Ukrainian personnel and infrastructure using drones equipped with Starlink.
The move is seen as a necessary step to protect critical energy infrastructure and save lives, according to Fedorov. SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk has expressed support for Ukraine's efforts, saying that the company's steps to prevent unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have been effective.
! so like, ukraine is all set to block starlink access for unregistered terminals... think about it, russian drones equipped with starlink are makin it super hard for ukraine to defend themselves 
. they gotta stop these russian strikes or else ppl will be dyin 
. i feel bad for the ukrainian folks, but at the same time, i get why they wanna take this step... safety first, right? 
so i'm thinking about this plan to block starlink access in ukraine... it makes sense from a security perspective, but what are the implications for regular folks? like, do they really need to register their own starlink terminals? and what about people living in rural areas where administrative services centers might not be nearby? 
Another thing, just found out that Russia is also being super aggressive with its cyber attacks on Ukraine's power grid 
. Apparently, they're trying to disrupt their energy supply and make life miserable for the Ukrainian people 
. And get this, it's not just a few isolated incidents – it's like a coordinated effort by Russian hackers to take down key infrastructure 
. This whole situation is just getting worse and worse... 
Ukraine is doing the right thing btw, it's not fair for them to have to deal with all this stress and danger because of someone else's evil plans. i'm so proud of elon musk too, he's literally saving lives over there! 
his team has been working super hard to help ukraine stay safe, and it's awesome to see them taking action. and btw, starlink is literally the best 
, can't imagine life without it now
The whitelist plan seems pretty straightforward and should help prevent unauthorized use of the network. I'm all for exploring ways to stay one step ahead in this cyber warfare game