Kiev thanked billionaire Elon Musk for the measures taken to prevent Russian drones from using the "Starlink" satellite services, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
"The first measures are already yielding results. Thank you for being with us. You are a true advocate of freedom and a true friend of the Ukrainian people," said in "Ex" Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, addressing Musk.
He explained that Kiev works in very close cooperation with Musk's company "SpaceX" about the next important measures to be taken.
Fedorov's reaction was in response to Musk's message in "Ex", in which he said: "It seems that the measures we have taken to prevent unauthorized use of "Starlink" by Russia are working. Tell us if you need other measures!".
On Thursday, Fedorov said that he had contacted "Starlink" about this issue. "A few hours after the appearance of Russian drones capable of connecting with "Starlink" over Ukrainian cities, the Defense Ministry team quickly contacted "SpaceX" and offered means to resolve the problem," Fedorov said at the time, expressing gratitude to the president of "SpaceX" Gwen Shotwell and Musk himself for the quick response.
Since late December, the American think tank Institute for the Study of War has documented the integration of Starlink systems into Russian attack drones, which increases their range by 500 kilometers.
According to Ukrainian intelligence services, Starlink terminals were acquired by the Russian military through parallel networks, such as imports through third countries, and not through official sales by Musk's company.
A complete disruption of the Starlink system in Ukraine would be complicated by the fact that it is widely used by the Ukrainian army for its communications.
Fedorov said that Musk's decision to urgently activate Starlink and sending the first batch of terminals to Ukraine at the start of the Russian invasion nearly four years ago was critical to Ukrainian resilience.
In March 2025, Musk briefly threatened to cut off this service to the Ukrainian army, which was perceived as pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign a quick peace agreement, which the White House is pushing for, notes Agence France-Presse.
Kiev also announced today that it is working to ensure that only authorized "Starlink" terminals will be used in Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing Mykhailo Fedorov. He explained that unauthorized terminals will be deactivated.