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Ukrainian military intelligence said Russian forces increasingly use Starlink terminals on the frontline, a new twist in Kyiv\u2019s uneasy relationship with\u00a0Elon Musk\u2019s internet service.<\/p>\n
Intercepted conversations between Russian troops in the occupied Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine indicate they had Starlink devices installed for internet access, the Ukrainian defense ministry intelligence directorate\u00a0said\u00a0<\/a>Sunday on its website.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is starting to become systemic,\u201d the RBC-Ukraine news site\u00a0quoted\u00a0<\/a>military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov as saying on Saturday about Russian forces\u2019 use of Starlink.<\/p>\n Talk about Russian troops using the satellite service bubbled up on Ukrainian social networks and media last week.\u00a0Starlink Inc.<\/a>\u00a0isn\u2019t active in Russia, meaning the service will not work in that country, the company\u00a0said\u00a0<\/a>Thursday on Musk\u2019s X social media platform, formerly Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n SpaceX does not do business of any kind with the Russian Government or its military. <\/p>\n Starlink is not active in Russia, meaning service will not work in that country. SpaceX has never sold or marketed Starlink in Russia, nor has it shipped equipment to locations in Russia. If\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Starlink (@Starlink) February 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Starlink\u2019s statement didn\u2019t specify whether the prohibition would also apply to the four large areas of eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia illegally annexed in 2022, where hundreds of thousands of Russian troops are believed to be deployed. In the past it has restricted the use of internet services in Russian-occupied territories.<\/p>\n The Wall Street Journal reported earlier Sunday, citing Ukraine\u2019s military intelligence, that Russian forces are using the satellite internet system in occupied Ukraine.<\/p>\n Musk\u00a0activated<\/a>\u00a0the Starlink satellite service in Ukraine during the early months of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion, responding to Kyiv\u2019s plea. Soon, the devices became a vital part of the country\u2019s infrastructure, providing internet services in areas of fighting and beyond.<\/p>\n The increasing dependence of Ukraine\u2019s military on Starlink became ever more apparent, raising the concerns of its creator. Last year, Musk\u00a0admitted<\/a>\u00a0he had prevented Starlink from being used as part of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian naval base on the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014. His comments prompted an outcry in Kyiv and a\u00a0US Senate query<\/a>.<\/p>\n Musk said on the\u00a0All-In Podcast<\/a>\u00a0that he would have extended Starlink for the Ukrainians in Crimea if US President\u00a0Joe Biden\u00a0had directed him to do so, but no such directive came. He said Starlink had been turned off over Crimea originally because of US sanctions on Russia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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