Russians buying Starlink satellite equipment through third countries – Ukraine's Defence Intelligence
According to Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, sanctioned Starlink satellite communication systems are sold in the Russian Federation through third parties, but work is still being done to "neutralise this threat."
Source: Andrii Yusov, representative of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, on the air of the national 24/7 newscast
Quote: "Russia continues to engage in so-called parallel trading, or, to avoid euphemisms, smuggling. This takes place through third countries – which countries in particular still needs to be clarified – but [we know that] Starlink is freely available in the Russian Federation, on [publicly-accessible online retail] sites...
[SpaceX] claims that Starlink [equipment] is not sold in Russia. However, the Russian Federation is now not only the number one terrorist country, but also the number one smuggler country, so this is a problem that we are currently addressing."
Details: Yusov stated that in the new year, the Russians began to use Starlink on the front lines in a more "systematic and organised" manner: "The invaders are betting on these devices and means. Of course, work is ongoing to eliminate this threat. We will not disclose the nature of this threat right now."
Background:
- On 11 February, Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) confirmed that Russian occupying forces were using Starlink satellite communications systems on the battlefield. DIU stressed that the scale of Russians' use of Starlink terminals in the war was growing and "is becoming systemic".
- Subsequently, SpaceX owner and American billionaire Elon Musk went on to say that Starlink terminals were not sold to Russia directly or indirectly.
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