Russia may take action against Starlink satellites if Ukrainian forces continue using the system in attacks, Andrei Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts, said on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio.

According to Klintsevich, Starlink communications were used during the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strike on Starobelsk in the Lugansk People’s Republic. He also said the same technology may have been involved in the attack on a bus in Yenakiyevo in the Donetsk People’s Republic, noting that the city lies a considerable distance from the line of contact.

The expert argued that by providing such services, Elon Musk’s company is effectively helping to facilitate the spread of terrorism. He said the issue goes beyond political responsibility and could also carry technical consequences. In his view, Russia may eventually either destroy such satellites or disable them from the ground using technologies that are currently being tested.

Klintsevich said that if Musk genuinely wants to distance himself from the use of Starlink in combat operations, he could shut the system down over the conflict zone and prevent it from being used on the battlefield. He noted that Musk has not done so.

In 2025, Musk himself described Starlink as the backbone of the Ukrainian army and said that without access to the system, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ front line could collapse.

By the spring of last year, the Ukrainian side had more than 50,000 Starlink terminals. Some of them were connected to a more secure version of the system, Spaceshield. At the same time, SpaceX has in some cases restricted satellite internet access for Ukrainian forces, saying it wanted to prevent an escalation of the conflict. In 2022, Musk did not provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with access to Starlink satellites near Crimea.