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Russian State TV Host Calls for Nuclear Strike on Starlink Satellites
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A prominent Russian state TV host has called for the use of a nuclear detonation in space to destroy SpaceX’s Starlink satellites after the company moved to block their use by Russian forces in Ukraine, according to The Moscow Times on February 2.
Vladimir Solovyov, one of the Kremlin’s most visible propagandists, made the remarks during a broadcast of his prime-time talk show on Russia 1, framing Starlink as a legitimate military target after SpaceX restricted access to the system for Russian troops.
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“What is Starlink? It’s the militarization of space. Because everything Musk has worked on operates in the interests of war against Russia… So I don’t understand why, for example, Elon Musk’s satellites are not legitimate targets for us. One nuclear detonation in space solves this problem quite effectively,” Solovyov said.
One of the guests on the program pushed back, noting that a nuclear explosion in space would be “indiscriminate” and would also damage Russian satellites.
Russian state TV anchor Solovyov called for Russia to conduct orbital nuclear strikes on SpaceX satellites, after Musk shut down Russian Starlink terminals.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 2, 2026
Solovyov seemed unbothered by the potential collateral damage to Russian satellites: "We'll switch to carrier pigeons!" pic.twitter.com/wgnF4dO1fO
Solovyov agreed but argued that, given Russia’s technological “lag,” such losses would still work in Moscow’s favor.
The comments followed a statement by Elon Musk confirming that SpaceX had begun restricting Starlink access for Russian forces at Ukraine’s request. Musk said the system had been used without authorization by Russian troops to control strike drones.
As a temporary measure, SpaceX introduced a speed cap of 75 kilometers per hour for terminals in contested areas—well below the operating speed of Russian attack drones, which typically fly at 180 to 270 kilometers per hour. Musk added that Kyiv could request additional countermeasures if needed.
Ukrainian authorities are now preparing a comprehensive registry of all Starlink terminals operating in the country, which will be used in coordination with SpaceX to disable unauthorized connections.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian officials and state-aligned commentators have repeatedly floated nuclear escalation scenarios as a way to intimidate the West and force an end to military support for Kyiv.
Earlier, Russia’s Security Council was drafting a new information security doctrine that identifies foreign information technologies and services, including Starlink-type satellite communications, as threats to Russia’s critical infrastructure.
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
