Russia using Musk’s Starlink at the front line, says Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—Russian forces are using SpaceX’s satellite internet system near the front line in occupied parts of Ukraine, Kyiv’s military intelligence agency said, potentially undercutting a major battlefield advantage for Kyiv’s army. Access to the system, known as Starlink, has allowed front-line Ukrainian forces to communicate via secure internet chat apps, allowing them to stay in contact without relying on cell or radio signals, which are easier to intercept.
In a statement posted to X—which, like SpaceX, is owned by Elon Musk—Starlink said the service didn’t work in Russia, but didn’t address whether it could be used in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. “SpaceX does not do business of any kind with the Russian Government or its military," the statement said.
“Starlink is not active in Russia, meaning service will not work in that country." Although Starlink systems can’t be purchased in Russia, Ukrainian media reported that Russian forces have been purchasing the devices in third countries, and then bringing them to the front. Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, said Kyiv had intercepted radio communications from Russia’s 83rd Separate Air-Assault Brigade in the occupied Donetsk region that indicated they were using Starlink terminals.
“This is starting to become systemic," Yusov said of the Russian use of Starlink in occupied territory. Access to Starlink has been a politically charged issue since early in the war, when Musk decided to make the service available in Ukraine.
Starlink is considered so vital to Ukrainian operations that, last year, when SpaceX said it could no longer fund access for Kyiv, the Pentagon agreed to pay to keep the service running. Private donors,
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