Elon Musk has not allowed Ukraine to use Starlink to guide strikes against Russian ballistic missile launch systems. The decision complicates hunting for mobile targets in Russian rear areas, but does not stop Ukraine's campaign of long-range strikes using its own means, UNN writes citing The Atlantic.
According to the publication, President Volodymyr Zelensky asked US President Donald Trump to contact Musk on this issue. This is about a fundamentally different approach to combating ballistics: not intercepting the missile in the air, but striking the launch system itself before firing.
The Logic of "Archer, Not Arrow"
Co-founder and chief designer of Fire Point company Denys Stihlerman previously explained that integrating Starlink into long-range strike systems would make it possible to work more effectively against mobile targets in Russian rear areas.
"Instead of shooting down arrows, we would strike the archers," Stihlerman explained.
Ballistic missile launch systems are mobile targets that constantly change position. Without real-time satellite communications, their detection and destruction becomes significantly more difficult.
Musk's Reasoning
According to The Atlantic, the billionaire believes that using Starlink for strikes deep into Russian territory could provoke further escalation of the war. During discussions, he repeatedly reiterated the thesis about the need to conclude a deal.
"Elon keeps saying it's time to make a deal," The Atlantic quotes an interlocutor.
What Remains in the Arsenal
Musk's refusal does not mean the end of Ukraine's long-range strike campaign. Its goal is to deprive Russia of military and economic resources to continue the war, putting the Kremlin in a position where negotiations become the only realistic scenario.
- Over 100 strategic facilities struck in the last 40 days
- Under fire — defense industry enterprises, military airfields, oil refineries, air defense systems, logistics hubs, ammunition depots, ships and tankers of the "shadow fleet"
- Over 42% of Russia's oil refining capacity has been put out of operation
- Total industry losses are estimated at $13.5 billion
Thus, the lack of access to Starlink for hunting launch systems remains an unresolved tactical problem. But it does not block the strategic direction — the destruction of oil refining, military industry and logistics, which remain within the reach of Ukrainian long-range weapons.
The question is whether the accumulation of economic pressure on Russia will compensate for the absence of a more precise tool against ballistics themselves — or whether Ukraine will have to seek alternative guidance systems for this particular task.
