Russia is intensifying its efforts to disrupt Ukraine's access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellites, as reported by Business Insider.
The Russian military has been attaching jammers to tanks in an attempt to interfere with signals and disrupt exploding drones, thereby preventing Ukraine from utilizing the satellites. This tactic has forced Ukrainian troops to move closer to their targets on the front lines of the ongoing conflict, which began in February 2022.
The Starlink satellites have played a crucial role in Ukraine's survival during the conflict. They have enabled effective communication among soldiers on the front lines and allowed Ukrainian businesses to continue operating amidst the turmoil. However, Russia is determined to find a way to negate Ukraine's use of Starlink. Brian Weeden, the chief program officer for the non-profit Secure World Foundation, explained that this task is challenging due to the architecture of the satellite constellation.
In the early stages of the conflict, Elon Musk's Space X sent thousands of Starlink satellite kits to Ukraine. However, controversy arose when a biography of Musk claimed that he had turned off Ukraine's access to Starlink as part of an effort to use submarine drones to attack Russian vessels in Crimea. In reality, the system's reach did not extend to the territory occupied by Russia since 2014.
Ukraine had requested Musk to enable the use of Starlink in the occupied territory, but he declined, fearing that it would escalate the war further. The situation highlights the complex dynamics between technology, geopolitics, and the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
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