Pentagon blocks Russians' access to Starlink in Ukraine

The Pentagon has announced that it has stopped using the Starlink Internet service for Russians in Ukraine.

Here's What We Know

The US Department of Defence has declared that it has successfully deterred Russia's military use of the system. While access control is now considered successful, the situation remains challenging due to Russia's continued efforts to find ways to restore connectivity.

The Pentagon noted that this step was made possible through cooperation with SpaceX, the company of Elon Musk that provides Starlink.

The incident that served as a catalyst for this step occurred in February last year, when Ukraine reported Russia's illegal use of Starlink. After that, Ukraine tried to offer an alternative algorithm to block access, but Russian troops managed to continue using the system for several months through third-party black market websites.

The Ukrainian military has been using Starlink since the Russian invasion in 2022. Also, more than 42,000 Starlink dishes are used by Ukrainian hospitals, aid groups and businesses.

Source: Bloomberg