Sikorski goes after Musk: Why don't you stop the Russians from using Starlinks?

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski asked the owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk, why he would not stop the Russians from using Starlink satellite systems to attack Ukraine. He suggested that making money from war crimes could harm SpaceX.

On Tuesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that the Russians are equipping drones with Starlink satellite systems. – We must react quickly, anticipate further threats and prevent situations that could harm the army – added the representative of the authorities in Kiev.

According to the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russian unmanned systems unit Rubikon began using Molnya drones with Starlinks in December 2025.

Sikorski, referring to the ISW entry on this matter on Tuesday evening on the X platform, tagged Elon Musk and asked him a question in English, “why doesn't it stop the Russians from using Starlinks to attack Ukrainian cities.” “Making money from war crimes can harm your brand,” emphasized the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hey, big man, @elonmuskwhy don't you stop the Russians from using Starlinks to target Ukrainian cities.
Making money on war crimes may damage your brand. https://t.co/dGO6xdFagL

— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) January 27, 2026

Russia bypasses GPS jamming thanks to Musk's company

The German weekly “Der Spiegel” reported on January 23 that the Russian army is increasingly using Starlinks in drone attacks against Ukraine. Reports about the installation of Starlinks on Russian combat drones were confirmed to Spiegel by the Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR).

On Monday, advisor to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Serhiy Beskrestnov, announced that Russian BM-35 strike drones equipped with the Starlink system can now reach the vicinity of the city of Dnipro. According to him, unlike Mołnia-type unmanned aerial vehicles, this type of drone is “fuel-based” and can cover distances of 500 km.

As the weekly noted, Russia is using Starlink to become independent from global satellite navigation systems, such as GPS and Galileo, which are susceptible to interference. Starlinks are more difficult to jam. (PAP)

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