Russo-Ukraine War: Just a Few Days Later starlink Was activated in Ukraine, SpaceX chief Elon Musk has warned that Starlink satellite broadband service could be “targeted” in Ukraine, which has been hit by the Russian invasion. Earlier Internet security researcher John Scott-Railton warned that equipment used for satellite communications could become “beacons” that Russia could target for airstrikes.
Elon Musk announced on Twitter, “IMPORTANT WARNING: Starlink is the only non-Russian communication system still operating in parts of Ukraine, so the chances of being targeted are high. Please use with caution.”
Musk asked users to “turn on Starlink only when needed and keep the antenna as far away from people as possible” and “put on a light camouflage on the antenna to avoid visual detection”.
Just last week researcher John Scott-Railton shared on Twitter, “If Putin controls the air over Ukraine, users’ uplink broadcasts become beacons for airstrikes.” He explained that, “Russia has decades of experience in killing people by targeting its satellite communications. In 1996, Chechen President Djokhar Dudayev was wary, but Russian planes reportedly found his satellite call and shot him with a missile strike. cast.”
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Musk said Starlink was active in Ukraine and that SpaceX was sending more terminals to the country, responding to a tweet by a Ukrainian government official, who asked Musk to provide the beleaguered country with Starlink stations. was asked to
On Monday, Ukraine said it had received donated Starlink satellite internet terminals, but an internet security researcher warned that these could become Russian targets.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Starlink for “keeping our cities connected and saving emergency services”. But he said the country needed a generator to keep the Starlink service online because of Russian attacks on infrastructure.
In response, Musk said that SpaceX was updating software to reduce peak power consumption so the Starlink could be powered from a car cigarette lighter.
“Mobile roaming is enabled, so the phased array antenna can maintain a signal on a moving vehicle,” he said.
Tim Farrar, a consultant in satellite communications, said the Starlink antennas, which look like home satellite television dishes, are not designed to be used while in motion, and it was unclear what Musk meant by the tweet.
Russia and Ukraine have agreed on the need to establish humanitarian corridors and a possible ceasefire around them for civilians to flee, the two sides said after talks on Thursday, their first of progress on any issues since the invasion. In the sign, which Moscow calls “special proceedings.”
(with inputs from agencies)
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