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Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, has thanked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for taking steps to disable Starlink satellite terminals used by Russian forces, which had been increasingly employed on the battlefield in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Sikorski shared his reaction in a post on the social media platform X, UATV English reports.
“Better late than never. Thank you, Elon Musk,” the Polish foreign minister wrote.
The comment followed Musk’s recent statement that SpaceX had introduced additional measures to prevent the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia. According to Musk, these actions have begun to produce tangible results.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported that Russian forces were increasingly deploying Starlink systems, including on strike drones, to bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare defenses and improve the precision and effectiveness of their attacks against both military targets and civilian infrastructure.
On February 1, Elon Musk said that SpaceX’s efforts to curb Russia’s illegal use of Starlink appeared to be working. Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, later confirmed that Starlink terminals included on Ukraine’s approved “whitelist” continue to operate normally, while devices used by Russian forces have already been blocked.
Further confirmation came from the partisan movement ATESH, which reported that the shutdown of Starlink terminals caused significant disruptions in communications between Russian army units on the front line. According to the group, the loss of satellite connectivity led to breakdowns in command and control, contributing to confusion and operational chaos among Russian forces in several frontline areas.
Sikorski had previously urged Elon Musk and SpaceX to fully prevent Russia from using Starlink satellites for military purposes, stressing that advanced civilian technologies must not be exploited to facilitate attacks on Ukraine.
At the same time, Poland continues to provide strong support to Ukraine’s satellite communications infrastructure. Earlier, Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a law extending Poland’s funding for Starlink subscription fees in Ukraine, ensuring continued access for the Ukrainian military, emergency services, and critical infrastructure.
