Elon Musk says SpaceX blocked Russia’s unauthorised use of Starlink, says steps have worked

(FILES) Elon Musk looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks at the US-Saudi Investment Forum at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC on November 19, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Elon Musk said SpaceX’s measures to block Russia’s unauthorized Starlink use have worked. Ukraine is tightening controls and developing tech to restrict Starlink access to approved users, aiming to prevent future misuse by Russian forces.

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Elon Musk said on Sunday that steps taken by his company SpaceX to block Russia’s unauthorised use of the satellite internet service Starlink appear to have been effective, as Ukraine confirmed it is tightening controls to prevent any future misuse.

Ukraine’s military depends heavily on Starlink for battlefield communications and for operating certain drone missions. Tens of thousands of Starlink terminals are used by Ukrainian forces across the frontlines. This week, however, Kyiv said it had detected Starlink terminals on long-range drones used in Russian attacks, raising concerns about Moscow’s access to the system.

Responding to the issue, Musk said SpaceX had acted to shut down unauthorised usage. “Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked. Let us know if more needs to be done,” Musk wrote on X.

Ukrainian officials said they are now working closely with SpaceX to ensure Russian forces cannot exploit the service again. In a separate post on Sunday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Kyiv was developing a technical solution to restrict Starlink access strictly to approved users within Ukraine.

“Ukraine, together with @Starlink, has already taken the first steps that delivered rapid results in countering Russian drones,” Fedorov wrote. “The next step is implementing a system that will allow only authorised terminals to operate on the territory of Ukraine.”

SpaceX has repeatedly said it does not provide Starlink services to Russia. In a social media statement posted in February 2024, the company said it does not sell or ship Starlink terminals to Russia and “does not do business of any kind with the Russian Government or its military.”

Starlink has played a crucial role in Ukraine’s war effort since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Musk activated the service over Ukraine in 2022 after Kyiv appealed for urgent help when conventional communication networks were disrupted.

While the latest steps appear to have limited Russian access, Ukrainian officials have indicated that further safeguards are necessary to ensure Starlink remains exclusively available to authorised users supporting Ukraine’s defence operations.