(Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Ukraine has uncovered evidence that Russian soldiers are indeed using Starlink on the battlefield, despite denials from SpaceX.
On Sunday, the intelligence arm of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense posted an intercepted recording of a Russian soldier with the 83rd Air Assault Brigade talking about using Starlink on the battlefield.
“They installed the application, explained it to everyone. Starlink works, there is the internet,” the unnamed Russian soldier says. The recording was taken while the assault brigade was operating in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense added: "Yes, there have been recorded cases of use of these devices by the Russian occupiers. This is starting to take on a systemic nature.”
Ukraine released the intelligence after Russian media outlet ComNews reported that merchants in Russia have been secretly importing Starlink dishes from Dubai and then selling them to volunteer soldiers fighting in the war.
Although Starlink doesn't work in Russia, the satellite internet system will allegedly function in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine including Donetsk and Luhansk, along with Crimea. As a result, the news is stirring concerns that Russia is using a US technology to hit back at Ukrainian forces—which have also been relying on Starlink to supply wartime internet on the battlefield.
However, SpaceX says it has no involvement in the sales of Starlink equipment or service to Russian troops. The company is also indicating it’ll crack down on any suspected Russian use of its satellite internet system.
“If SpaceX obtains knowledge that a Starlink terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorized party, we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed,” the company tweeted on Thursday.
On Sunday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also weighed in. "To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia," he tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Russian government is also denying that its soldiers are using Starlink in the field. "This is not a certified system with us; accordingly, it cannot be officially supplied here and is not officially supplied. Accordingly, it cannot be used officially in any way,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin is likely wary of the technology because Starlink works by learning the GPS coordinates of a dish, providing a way for SpaceX to potentially track users' locations. So it could be dangerous for Russian troops to use Starlink, especially near the front lines. But whether SpaceX would ever conduct such surveillance remains unclear.