According to Bloomberg, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John J. Murphy F. Plame said in an interview that the Pentagon, through its partnership with Elon Musk's SpaceX, has found a way to prevent the Russian army from illegally using the Starlink service on the battlefield in Ukraine, without affecting the use of the Ukrainian army, and that "the United States is actively working with the Ukrainian government and SpaceX to combat Russia's illegal use of Starlink terminals."
John Plame did not disclose details about this method, in particular, whether it was already used on the battlefield and how effective it was.
Although the Russian government did not admit it, the Ukrainian government, as well as some Western media, claimed that by obtaining terminals from third countries and tampering with information such as GPS location, the Russian army also illegally used the "Starlink" service on the battlefield in Ukraine, and these services played a large role in the communication and command of the Russian army: the illegal "Starlink" terminals used by the Russian army on the battlefield in Ukraine are so numerous that the Ukrainian army on the other side of the battle line noticeably feels the slowdown in the network speed when using the "Starlink" service.
According to the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX claimed that by the end of March 2024, a total of 72 countries around the world had granted the company a license for the Starlink service, while China, Russia, India and some African countries refused, but this did not prevent users in some African countries, such as Sudan, Zimbabwe and South Africa, from illegally using the Starlink service. This situation caught the attention of SpaceX, which has worked with the countries concerned to disconnect Starlink services in those countries, and the governments of the countries concerned have taken action, including confiscating the terminals, arresting those involved, and imposing fines.
At that time, John Plame said that the Pentagon was working with SpaceX and the Ukrainian government to prevent the Russian army from illegally using the "Starlink" service, and "made progress", and refused to provide details.
It is worth noting that many Western technology companies are intentionally or unintentionally serving the Russian government's "special military operation" in Ukraine, such as some companies that provide satellite image services, and the Ukrainian government, with the support of the United States and other governments, requires these technology companies to sign a memorandum of cooperation to restrict the taking of satellite photos of Ukraine.