According to sources from the publication, former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov continues to approach Musk with requests to allow Ukraine to connect to Starlink satellites over internationally recognized territory of the Russian Federation. Earlier this year, he negotiated with the billionaire to block the system for Russian troops. It is noted that he does this "behind the scenes." Despite the attempts, sources close to Fedorov state that "there is currently no positive decision." Musk insists on the necessity of reaching a peace agreement and expresses concerns about the risk of escalating the war if strikes deep into Russia are permitted, the sources said. At present, Ukrainian forces can only attack Russian targets using the Starlink system within the officially recognized territory of Ukraine, including Crimea and occupied territories. It was previously reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a meeting at the White House on July 28, asked President Donald Trump to allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use Starlink for guiding Ukrainian drones in strikes against targets deep inside Russia. Co-founder of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, Denis Shtilerman, stated that equipping drones with Starlink modules would allow for more accurate hits on mobile targets in Russia. "Instead of shooting arrows down, we will hit the archers," he said. Currently, according to Shtilerman, satellite communication from SpaceX is used to create a strike zone along the front line, but by applying the system in Russia, it would be possible to "expand the strike zone to 500 km" and even potentially to Siberia. Two weeks ago, Musk stated in an interview with The Economist that Russia would not withdraw its troops from Ukraine, and the war could only be stopped after concessions to Moscow. In 2022, due to fears of nuclear escalation, he also refused to provide Kyiv with the ability to use Starlink to strike Russian ships in Crimea, writes The Moscow Times. For more on the relations between Kyiv and Washington, read [here](https://bb.lv/statja/v-mire/2026/08/07/diplomaticeskoe-kontrnastuplenie-ukrainy-na-vasington-zaxlebnulos)