Overview
- SpaceX implemented temporary countermeasures at Ukraine’s request to stop Russian forces from using Starlink on attack drones, with Elon Musk and Ukrainian officials saying the steps are delivering real results.
- On Feb. 2, the government approved a registration system that will keep only verified Starlink terminals active in Ukraine, with unverified devices to be disconnected in coordination with SpaceX.
- Civilian registration will run through local service centers and the Diia portal, while military units will verify devices through the DELTA battlefield platform, according to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
- Open-source reporting indicates the emergency measures include speed-based restrictions that disable terminals above roughly 75–90 km/h, though officials have withheld technical specifics for security reasons.
- Ukraine documented Starlink terminals on Russian Shahed, Molniya, and BM-35 drones used for long-range strikes, and as work continues on a longer-term solution, a Kremlin-aligned TV host floated a nuclear strike on satellites in an escalatory broadcast.