Kyrylo Budanov confirms that Starlink systems did not work "for some time" near Qırım

The Head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, has confirmed that Starlink systems did not operate "for some time" near Qırım.

Budanov said this at the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting.

"Personally, I'm not sure that Mr Elon Musk operated some mythical buttons and stopped the movement of any devices. This is my personal opinion. I can absolutely confirm that Starlink systems did not work for some time near Qırım because we also used certain equipment," he said.

Budanov added that Starlink systems have played a very significant role and are still playing it now, as they are used for communication and to transmit information from drones.

"They have proven themselves quite well at the frontline. We can talk a lot about whether they are good or bad, but there are facts — the entire front line is operating on them," Budanov said.

Earlier, CNN reported that Elon Musk had secretly ordered his engineers to shut down the Starlink network off the coast of Qırım in 2022 to prevent a Ukrainian attack on the Russian navy.

Musk later said that he had not ordered his engineers to turn off the Starlink system off the coast of the temporarily occupied Qırım. The businessman said that the network in the area had not been activated before. However, he did refuse Ukraine's request to activate the connection "all the way to Sevastopol."

Photo: Yevheniy Shynkar | VOA