Russian war of aggression
Kiev: Starlink smuggling runs through Arab countries
Starlink is a satellite-based Internet service provider that is of enormous importance for communication, especially in the Ukraine war. Here a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Starlink satellites on board flies into space. (Archive) Photo
© Malcolm Denemark/Florida Today/Florida Today via AP/dpa
The Starlink internet service is helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invasion. But now Moscow is also supposed to use the facilities – they are allegedly being smuggled through Arab countries.
Ukraine accuses Arab countries of supplying military-critical equipment to use US internet service To allow Starlink into Russia. “The occupiers in the Arab countries are buying the Starlink terminals,” wrote the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR on Tuesday on its Telegram channel, citing intercepted conversations of Russian soldiers. The Starlink satellite network, operated by billionaire Elon Musk, provides internet access and is also used by Ukraine to control weapons systems in its defense against the Russian invasion. This communication was considered one of the few advantages that Kiev had over the highly equipped Russian army during the war.
Last week, however, Ukrainian military intelligence announced that the Internet connection was now also being used by the Russian military in the frontline area. Both SpaceX and the Kremlin have now denied official deliveries of the device. “SpaceX has never sold or marketed Starlink in Russia, nor has it delivered any equipment to locations in Russia,” the company said on the X (formerly Twitter) platform last Thursday. If SpaceX learns of cases in which Starlink terminals are being used without permission, the company will investigate and, if necessary, shut down the terminal, it said. Meanwhile, a Kremlin spokesman said Starlink was not certified in Russia and therefore could not be used.
It’s not about official deliveries, but about smuggling, Kiev insists and has now made its allegations more specific. “According to one of the occupiers, “the Arabs bring everything: cable, WiFi, routers,” and the cost of a Starlink device is 200,000 rubles” (about 2,000 euros), HUR said. Similar allegations had previously appeared in US media, with the port city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates being named as a transshipment point.