SpaceX has restricted Ukraine's use of the Starlink Internet for controlling drones

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The SpaceX company limited the use of the Starlink satellite internet service by the Ukrainian military to control drones during the war with Russia, SpaceX president Gwen Shotwell said, Reuters writes .

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Key facts

• SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, which provided the Ukrainian military with broadband to defend against the Russian military, was "never intended to be used as a weapon," said Gwen Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX.
• "However, the Ukrainians used it in a way that was unintentional and was not part of any agreement," she said.
• Later, in a conversation with journalists, Shotwell referred to reports that the Ukrainian military used the Starlink service to control drones.
• "There are things we can do to limit their capabilities," she said, referring to Starlink's use of drones. "There are things we can do, and we have already done them."
• Shotwell declined to say what measures SpaceX had taken.
• Starlink's use of drones goes beyond SpaceX's agreement with the Ukrainian government, she said, adding that the contract is for humanitarian purposes, such as providing broadband Internet access to hospitals, banks and families affected by the Russian invasion.
• "We know the military uses them for communication, and that's fine," she said. "But we never wanted them to use it offensively."

Context

Since the beginning of full-scale war, Starlinks have become part of the critical infrastructure. Thanks to the terminals, hospitals, schools, energy and social sectors continue to work. Also, with Starlink, workers in the telecommunications sector quickly restore communication to the de-occupied territories. In addition, a significant part of Starlink is received by the military.

About 75% of the terminals were financed by international partners: the government of Poland, the ministers of digital transformation of the EU, the USAID agency. They paid for the terminals themselves and pay for communication services every month, Fedorov said earlier in an interview with Forbes . Also, supplies went separately through the Ministry of Defense and from private individuals and organizations, including Elon Musk 's SpaceX .

During the blackouts , the demand for Starlink also increased from private individuals - Ukrainians began to buy satellite Internet terminals in order to have access to the network even without electricity. To meet the pent-up demand, the government has removed duties and VAT on imports of Starlink, as well as generators and other energy independence goods.

Ukraine recently received a batch of 8,000 Starlink terminals from Poland . About 30,000 Starlinks are currently operating in Ukraine, which were obtained thanks to agreements with international donors and partners.

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