By Philip Butterworth-Hayes
According to multiple media reports, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has been intalks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX over concerns that Russian drones have started to use internet services from Starlink satellites during attacks on Ukrainian cities.
New versions of Russian Shahed/Gern drones have been identified by Ukranian forces equipped with Starlink terminals which feature command-and-control and video/telemetry links which are extremely difficult to detect and jam.
According to Mykhailo Fedorov in a social media post: “Within hours of Russian drones with Starlink connectivity appearing over Ukrainian cities, the Ministry of Defence team promptly contacted SpaceX and proposed ways to resolve the problem…I’m grateful to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and personally to Elon Musk for their swift response.”
The last few months have seen a rapid evolution of the Geran range of drones, with Geran-4 drones now capable of reaching 350–500 km/h and Geran-5s equipped with a 90 kg warhead and a 1,000 km range, both of which can be air launched, extending range even further.
The addition of Starklink to the Geran family, and other long-range Russian drones, will make the counter-UAS challenges for Ukraine even more difficult.
According to the Odessa Journal:
“(Starlink) terminals have been recorded on long-range Shahed kamikaze drones with ranges of up to 2,000 km; on tactical FPV drones of the Molniya series, including the Molniya-2 and Molniya-2R variants, actively used since December 2025 by the Rubikon unit; and on the long-range BM-35 drone, recorded with Starlink in January 2026 during strikes on Dnipro and Odessa.”
For more information
https://www.euronews.com/2026/01/29/ukraine-contacts-spacex-over-russian-drones-allegedly-using-starlink-officials-say
https://odessa-journal.com/russia-uses-starlink-to-boost-uav-reconnaissance-and-strikes-bypassing-sanctions-via-third-countries
(Image: Ukraine – burnt and destroyed cars in residential district after the night attack of Russian drones – Shutterstock)
