SpaceX has taken steps to prevent the Ukrainian military from using Starlink satellite internet to control drones. According to Reuters, the president of the company, Gwynne Shotwell, spoke about this at a conference in Washington. She did not elaborate on what measures she was talking about.
According to Shotwell, the agreement between SpaceX and Ukrainian authorities stipulates that Starlink should only be used for humanitarian purposes, such as providing internet to hospitals, banks and civilians. “We know that the military uses them [Starlink terminals] for communications, and that's fine. But we never wanted them to use it offensively,” said the President of SpaceX.
After the start of the Russian invasion, the company sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine to provide the country with a stable Internet connection during the war. Some of SpaceX's expenses were reimbursed by the US and French governments.
In January, the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mikhail Fedorov, announced that the country received a total of 30,000 Starlink terminals.