According to people familiar with the situation, the Financial Times reported on August 21 that Ukraine is requesting Elon Musk’s approval to use Starlink-equipped drones to attack Russian ballistic missile launchers up to 200 kilometers within Russian territory. Kyiv’s rising panic over a serious lack of Patriot interceptor missiles- the sole system that can fire down Russian ballistic missiles- is reflected in the request.
Zelenskyy’s Request to Trump
During a July White House meeting with Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue and asked the U.S. president to talk to Musk about approving increased use of Starlink, according to those in attendance. In an attempt to get Musk to consent, Kyiv suggested restricting strikes to 200 kilometers inside Russia, which would encompass logistics hubs, command-and-control systems, and ballistic missile launch facilities.
Those in the Oval Office said that Trump did not appear to embrace the concept and did not provide a firm response. According to people the Financial Times spoke with, Musk won’t give Kyiv approval.
The Significance of Starlink
In addition to being less susceptible to electronic warfare jamming, Starlink-equipped drones use SpaceX’s satellite network to maintain more dependable communication with operators over longer distances than traditional radio channels. Such drones have already shown promise on the battlefield inside Ukraine, according to military researcher Franz-Stefan Gady, who told the Financial Times that if they were used outside the border, they “could be very useful in hunting” Russian missile launchers.
The internationally recognized border between Russia and Ukraine is 200 kilometers away from six important Russian cities: Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov-on-Don, and Krasnodar.
Challenges and Situation
On August 8, The Atlantic revealed that Musk had turned down Ukraine’s proposal to deploy Starlink for strikes on Russian territory, which was initially reported in late July. The removal of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who had a direct line of communication with Musk, is another issue. Early in August, Fedorov stated that he was still in talks with Musk, but he described reaching Kyiv’s desired outcome as “a difficult task.”
Due to the lack of Patriot missiles, Ukraine is essentially helpless against Russian ballistic missiles, and Kyiv has ceased disclosing information on the quantity of Russian missiles fired. Ukraine hopes to move from passive air defense to actively damaging Russian launch equipment before missiles are deployed by requesting access to Starlink for offensive drone operations.