Mere days after sending Starlink internet terminals to Ukraine to ensure that the country can maintain internet access amid Russia’s invasion, SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk warned the Ukrainian government to use dishes with caution, because the equipment may be targeted by Russia.
“Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution,” Musk tweeted.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov posted a photo on Tweeter, showing a Starlink dish visibly installed on a building roof.
When asked how Starlink terminals can be installed “with caution,” Musk replied: “Turn on Starlink only when needed and place antenna...as far away from people as possible.”
“Place light camouflage over antenna to avoid visual detection,” he added.
A similar warning came from John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab last weekend.
He noted that “if Putin controls the air above Ukraine, users' uplink transmissions become beacons... for airstrikes.”
Cybersecurity Help’s statement on the critical situation in Ukraine
On February 24, people in many cities and towns across Ukraine woke up to the sounds of explosions and artillery fire, as the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of the country. Such actions are unacceptable, political ambitions of any man aren’t worth of blood, tears, and destruction of millions of lives. We give our full support to the Ukrainian people in these hard times. No more war!