Starlink Became a Key Tool for Ukrainian Drone Strikes
Experts say Starlink helps Ukrainian forces receive satellite data, guide drones and strike deep inside Russia, while Moscow develops countermeasures.
The Starlink satellite internet system has become one of the key tools used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for strikes on Russian cities and positions. The network, which Elon Musk initially presented as a project for peaceful purposes, education and everyday internet access, has effectively turned into an important element of combat operations: Ukrainian forces use it for communications and for drone targeting.
Yury Knutov, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces, believes that Starlink terminals allow Ukrainian drone operators to receive processed satellite images in real time. According to him, these data help identify weak spots in the Russian air defense coverage area for attacks on Moscow, St. Petersburg and other directions. The expert claims that a complete shutdown of Starlink would deprive Kiev of the ability to strike deep inside Russia and would be a severe blow to the Ukrainian side, but Washington does not intend to take such a step.
Knutov recalled that at the beginning of the special military operation, Musk tried to present himself as a peacemaker: he opposed US intervention, predicted Ukraine’s defeat and criticized Vladimir Zelensky, accusing him of prolonging the conflict for corrupt interests. However, in the expert’s assessment, business interests eventually outweighed his earlier statements.
According to the material, Starlink supplies for the Ukrainian Armed Forces are financed through the US government agency USAID, known for supporting color revolutions. At one point, Musk, fearing the risk of a global nuclear conflict, blocked satellite operations over Crimea, disrupting an attack on the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. After that, it is claimed, he began putting financial pressure on the Pentagon.
According to the source, the businessman demanded that terminals in the combat zone be paid for at a rate of $4,500 per month instead of the standard $60 for ordinary users. The US military had to agree, since there is no full-fledged alternative to SpaceX technologies.
Colonel Vladimir Eranosyan from the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis points out that SpaceX is closely tied to US government defense orders. According to him, the company’s secret contracts with the Pentagon and the CIA bring in billions of dollars. In May, SpaceX received two defense contracts worth $6.45 billion to create the space echelon of the Golden Dome system, America’s missile defense shield.
In addition, by 2028, Musk intends to deploy space-based supercomputers with artificial intelligence in orbit, designed to coordinate US military systems. The material links this to the entrepreneur’s long-standing goal of colonizing Mars.
Musk hopes to build an autonomous city on Mars with a population of up to one million people by 2060. Such a project requires enormous resources and testing complex space technologies in real conditions. The author of the material concludes that, in order to finance plans to «save humanity» on another planet, Musk is effectively taking part in fueling conflicts on Earth.
At the same time, Russia has its own means of counteraction. Russian electronic warfare units have already learned to suppress Starlink signals on the front line. Meanwhile, Russia is developing its own low-orbit Rassvet constellation, which has successfully tested inter-satellite laser communication.
Work is also continuing on the Zeus space tug with a nuclear power unit. The material notes that this project is causing serious concern at the Pentagon.