Russian Forces Utilize Starlink in Ukraine, Procured via Third Countries

The Russian military is increasingly using Starlink terminals at its positions in Ukraine, which it purchases from third countries, according to Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi.

Russian Military Increasingly Deploying Starlink Terminals To Frontline Areas In Ukraine

The report cited Kyiv-based engineer Oleh Kutkov, who works on Starlink terminals for the Ukrainian military. "In fact, the Russians have begun to actively use terminals on the front line," he said.

The terminals are purchased from third nations and resold by Russian dealers. "It is impossible to trace and cover up these schemes, because our volunteers 'sweep' terminals in all countries and pay from different cards," Kutkov explained.

While the terminals only work in Ukraine, verifying which side of the front line possesses a certain terminal in the 20-kilometer zone is hard because they all utilize the same channel and satellite scheduler.

"So either everyone is working or no one is working," he explained, adding that a large concentration of terminals in one area leads to system overload and a decrease in speed.

Starlink's Stance on Russia: SpaceX Clarifies Position Amid Controversy

SpaceX, the firm behind Starlink, has stated that it does not do business with the Russian government or its armed forces and will take steps to disable terminals if unauthorized individuals utilize them.

"Starlink is not active in Russia, which means the service will not work in that country. SpaceX has never sold Starlink in Russia, nor has it delivered equipment to Russia," the company said.

Earlier, Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network and a military specialist questioned whether it is possible to flash Starlink without Elon Musk's knowledge.

"There are very interesting questions here,” Samus said in an interview with Radio NV. Isn't this evidence that Elon Musk is starting to support Russia, starting to support [Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin?"

During an online discussion on his X platform (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk recommended "restoring normal relations" with Russia by relinquishing parts of Ukrainian land, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Bloomberg (via Yahoo) reported on September 15, citing Committee Chairman Jack Reed, that the United States Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk's decision not to activate the Starlink satellite network over occupied Crimea.

Photo: ANIRUDH/Unsplash