Musk wrote yesterday that steps taken to prevent unauthorized Russian use of the system are already beginning to show results.

Following this, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine is indeed seeing a tangible impact on the ground. He added that the next phase will involve creating a mechanism allowing Starlink access only for terminals that are approved and authenticated to operate within Ukraine, while disconnecting those that fail verification.

To understand how “terminal authentication” affects drone operations, it is important to understand how Starlink works. It is a satellite internet infrastructure that provides broadband connectivity via thousands of low-Earth-orbit satellites. Users connect through a dedicated terminal—an antenna—that communicates directly with the satellites.