Restricting the use of drones equipped with unregistered Starlink terminals in Ukraine could create serious complications for both sides of the conflict — affecting not only the Ukrainian armed forces but also the Russian military, according to military expert Vasily Kashin.

Kashin pointed to measures reportedly introduced by SpaceX, including limiting the speed of any platform carrying a Starlink terminal to 90 km/h. Such a restriction would make it far more difficult to mount the system on unmanned aerial vehicles.

He also suggested that another possible step could involve the creation of a so-called «white list» of Starlink modems officially authorized to operate on Ukrainian territory. Any device outside that list would be automatically blocked.

As Kashin noted, these restrictions would impact all users of unregistered terminals. That would include not only civilian customers, but also Ukrainian military units relying on Starlink equipment purchased through volunteers or private sponsors.

The expert said both measures appear technically feasible. While they would disrupt Ukrainian civilian and military communications, they could also lead to complications for Russian forces.

Kashin emphasized that Russia currently lacks its own low-orbit satellite communications system, making Starlink a key technological advantage for Ukraine. Under such conditions, Moscow may be forced to invest significant resources into digital hacking efforts, including attempts to imitate terminals that would be classified as «approved» under a white-list system.

Earlier media reports indicated that SpaceX has already begun implementing initial steps aimed at preventing Russian Starlink terminals from being used to carry out drone strikes in the SVO zone.