Elon Musk warns Ukraine that Starlink communications system could be targeted by Russia

A few days after activating its satellite Internet access service above Ukraine and sent a shipment of connection kits there to help the country keep a digital link with the outside world, Elon Musk calls for caution. The billionaire boss of SpaceX and Tesla, posted a message on Twitter urging people using the Internet connection star link in Ukraine to act with caution due to a “high” risk of being targeted by the Russian military.

” Important disclaimer: Starlink is the only non-Russian communication system still functioning in parts of Ukraine, so the likelihood of being targeted is high. Please use it with caution “, he writes.

He continues his warning, recommending users to “ only turn on Starlink when needed and place the antenna as far away from people as possible » and to install « light camouflage on the antenna to avoid visual detection. »

Starlink stations could serve as beacons for airstrikes

This warning ofElon Musk comes after the one issued by John Scott-Railton, security researcher at the University of Toronto. In a series of tweethe recalls that Russia possessing air control over Ukraine, his army could quite easily use Starlink stations as beacons for targeted strikes by exploiting the signals going up to the satellites. ” Russia has decades of experience attacking people by targeting their satellite communications “, emphasizes the researcher. In particular, he recalls how Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev was assassinated in 1996 by an airstrike after the Russian army detected his satellite phone. John Scott-Railton also insists that relying on encryption, VPN and other communication security tools does not protect against geolocation based on radio broadcasts.

Mykhailo Fedorov, the minister in charge of digital in the Ukrainian government, thanked star link for the help provided while asking what were the solutions to power the satellite stations in the event of a power cut. Elon Musk then announced a software update reducing the peak consumption of the terminal and the possibility of powering it via an automobile cigarette lighter socket. He also said mobile roaming has been enabled to allow a Starlink antenna to maintain its signal if installed on a moving vehicle.

War in Ukraine: Starlink hardware has arrived and it works!

Article by Edward Back, 03/01/2022

This weekend, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine tweeted a request to Elon Musk for Starlink connection kits. The CEO of SpaceX reacted immediately and the first convoy of equipment has already arrived on site.

Since the Russian invasion, many Ukrainians have had difficulty connecting to the Internet. This is one of the consequences of hybrid warfare Vladimir Putin, between cyberattacks that paralyze the network and bombings that destroy the infrastructure. This Saturday, February 26, Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation, challenged Elon Musk on Twitter.

” While you are trying to colonize Mars, Russia is trying to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets are successfully landing from space, Russian rockets are attacking the Ukrainian people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink terminals “, he wrote. Elon Musk, the boss of SpaceX who provides Internet connection by Starlink satellitereplied just ten hours later to announce that the service was now activated in Ukraine and that terminals were on the way.

An internet connection that can be set up anywhere

This bottle thrown into the sea produced quick results. Elon Musk kept his promise and barely 48 hours later the first kits star link arrived in the country. It was Mykhailo Fedorov himself who tweeted a photo of a truck full of the brand’s very recognizable boxes thanking Elon Musk. The donation is rather considerable knowing that each kit is worth 500 euros.

The service star link is ensured by a constellation of around 2,000 satellites and can reach up to 150 megabits per second. The equipment, which includes a satellite dish, only requires a power supply which can be supplied by a generator. The system is thus independent of any infrastructure on the ground, and will therefore ensure minimal connectivity in areas of Ukraine that are cut off from the Internet.