Mykolaiv residents must officially register their own Starlink: how to do it

Only verified and registered Starlink satellite communication terminals will operate in Ukraine. All others will be disabled to prevent their use by Russia.

Currently, individuals and legal entities in Mykolaiv can already officially register their own Starlink. This was announced by Vladyslav Belan, director of the city council's administrative services department, during a staff meeting on 2 February, according to NikVesti.

Individuals must do this at the Administrative Services Centres, and legal entities must do so through the Diia portal, he explained.

«The Administrative Service Centres will begin accepting documents for the use of Starlink. In this case, individuals must contact the Administrative Service Centre to submit documents, and legal entities will submit information through the Diia portal,» said Vladyslav Belan.

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych explained that Russia uses Starlink to control drones. This system was found on long-range drones used in Russian attacks.

«Russian drones such as Shahed, Geran, and so on used their own navigation systems: GPS and GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System, — note). And Ukrainian electronic warfare systems take and replace satellite data. In other words, this «aircraft» is flying, it is unmanned, its coordinate system is changing in its head, and it imagines that it is flying not in Mykolaiv, but somewhere on the other side of the earth — for example, in the city of Lima. Therefore, they simply turn over, fall and do not reach their destination. To do this, the Russians illegally buy Starlink abroad and transport them to Russia. There, they dismantle the Starlink itself from this large receiver and insert a small receiver into the drone. That is why the Shahed drones continue to fly, because they are connected to Starlink,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

The Digital Transformation Department of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration explained the procedure for verifying Starlink terminals for individuals and legal entities.

«The enemy has started using Starlink to maintain navigation for its UAVs and reach places it previously could not. Accordingly, we need to block Starlink terminals that are located in Ukraine and do not belong to us. A white list will be created — a list of Starlink terminals that can be trusted,» the department explained.

For individuals or sole proprietors

Find your Starlink details.

It is indicated on the box or in your account settings:

• KIT number (serial number of the kit), if available;
• UTID (unique antenna identifier) or Dish ID;
• Starlink portal user account number (if available).

2. Prepare your documents.

Depending on who the terminal is registered to, bring with you:

• passport (booklet or ID card);
• RNOKPP (identification code).

3. Visit your nearest Administrative Services Centre.

Ask the administrator to add Starlink to the whitelist. The procedure is free of charge.

The administrator will check your documents and accept your application. After that, your terminal will be added to the whitelist and will continue to work without restrictions.

Limits:

• maximum 1 terminal — without physical presence of the device;
• maximum 3 terminals per person — subject to physical presentation of the devices.

«Regarding your Starlink devices. If you have one Starlink device, you do not need to bring it with you; simply take the information and come to the ASC. If you have more than one Starlink device, you will need to bring the Starlink device itself to the ASC to show that you physically have it. This is very important. One individual can register up to three Starlink devices. Keep this in mind when you bring them in,» added the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration.

The service at the ASC will be available from 3 February for individuals and sole traders.

For businesses (legal entities)

For companies, the procedure is completely digital through the Diia portal.

What information you need to have on hand:

• KIT terminal number (serial number of the kit), if available;
• Terminal UTID (unique antenna identifier) or Dish ID;
• Starlink portal user account number.

How to submit an application on the Diia portal:

• Go to the Dія portal and log in using the legal entity's electronic digital signature.
• Find the service Notification of Starlink terminal use.
• The system will automatically pull up the company's data from the registers. You will need to manually enter the terminal data and account number.
• Check the generated application and sign it with your electronic signature.
• The application is automatically forwarded to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.

Limits:

• up to 10 terminals — for ordinary legal entities;
• no restrictions — for enterprises with critical importance status.

The administration has separately warned against registering other people's terminals, as this will have consequences. If Starlink has been transferred to the military or is used by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, verification through the ASC is not required — such terminals will be registered in a separate procedure determined by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

As is known, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov previously reported that Ukraine is cooperating with SpaceX to prevent Russia from using Starlink to control drones. According to the Ukrainian side, this system was found on long-range drones used in Russian attacks.

«Western technologies should serve to support the democratic world and protect the civilian population, not be a tool of terror and destruction of civilian cities,» Mykhailo Fedorov emphasised in X.

On 1 February, Elon Musk said that SpaceX's measures to restrict Russia's «unauthorised» use of Starlink had likely been successful: «It appears that our actions to stop Russia's illegal use of Starlink have worked. Let me know if further action is needed».

In response, Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed that the first steps are already yielding tangible results, thanked Musk for his support, calling him a defender of freedom and a friend of Ukrainians, and added that the Ministry of Defence continues to actively cooperate with SpaceX to implement the next important initiatives.