Starlink could become a target for a Russian strike if it is used for offensive attacks. This was stated by American entrepreneur Elon Musk on the social network X, insisting that the system should remain a civilian project.
“This is really one of the main reasons why Starlink should remain a civilian project. It can be used for military infrastructure, but not for clearly offensive strikes that would make it a legitimate target for a retaliatory strike“, Musk wrote.
His position was published in response to a comment about Russia's capabilities to destroy satellites in orbit. It recalled the test of a Russian anti-satellite weapon on November 15, 2021. Then Russia used a “Nudol“ missile to destroy its old satellite.
Warning of a chain reaction in orbit
Musk warned that the destruction of Starlink satellites could have consequences far beyond the disruption of communications. According to him, blowing them up would cause a chain reaction of destruction, the formation of a huge field of debris and the risk of outer space becoming unusable.
In a separate comment, Musk said that he had limited the use of Starlink in Ukraine. He said the Ukrainian military violated the terms of service by using the system to conduct drone strikes with the intent to cause death.
“The use of Starlink, a civilian commercial service, to conduct drone strikes with the intent to kill has never been authorized and should not be authorized,“ Musk said.He drew a distinction between Starlink and Starshield. Musk said Starshield is a separate system controlled by the US government, which decides how it will be used.
A Ukrainian official disputed the claims
Sergey Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on the development of technological directions in defense, said that the Ukrainian armed forces physically cannot use commercial Starlink to strike at long and medium distances.
“It is very strange that Elon Musk does not know about the limitations of Starlink's operation in Ukraine“, said Beskrestnov. According to him, from the winter of 2026, all Starlink terminals over Ukraine, including over the occupied territories, will have a speed limit of between 70 and 90 km/h. He added that Starlink does not work over the territory of Russia.
Sources: unian.net