SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet terminals are showing up for sale on Russian online stores, being resold by Russian dealers, and being delivered to the front lines of Ukraine by Russian volunteer groups despite being in banned in the country, according to a new report.
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The Wall Street Journal reports that while Russia doesn’t allow the use of Starlink due to fears of undermining state control, Starlink terminals are on sale on Russian online stores — some even linking back to U.S. sellers on eBay. The news outlet also talked to Russian Starlink dealers who smuggle the technology into Russia, and followed Starlink deliveries to the front lines. Although the terminals are useful for fast and reliable access to the internet, they also allow battlefield users to control drones and other military technology. And The Journal spoke with Sudanese dealers who resell terminals to the Rapid Support forces — a paramilitary group that has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity — in Sudan where Starlink is illegal. After the dealers — who are part of a supply chain the Journal found in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the United Arab Emirates — register Starlink terminals in countries where it is allowed to operate, buyers in territories where the technology is banned can use Starlink through its roam feature.
In February, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and the Kremlin denied reports that Russian troops in occupied territories of Ukraine were using Starlink. The Defense Intelligence agency of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said that intercepted radio transmissions of Russian troops indicated they were using Starlink terminals for internet access. But Musk said on X that the reports were “categorically false,” and “To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency again released audio it alleged was of intercepted radio transmissions from Russian soldiers discussing the purchase of “means of communication, including Starlink satellite internet terminals” from “Arab countries.”
Ukrainian officials told The Journal they are working with SpaceX on a solution to Russian troops using the terminals in occupied territories. Meanwhile, John Plumb, the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said SpaceX and Ukrainian officials are working together on the issue.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The U.S. sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukraine at the beginning of the war with Russia in February 2022 after seeking ways to keep the Ukrainian government connected in anticipation of the invasion. Before Russia invaded, the U.S. was prompted to send the terminals amid fears of Russian physical and cyberattacks on Ukraine’s electrical and communications infrastructure.
