February 2024: According to Ukrainian source, Russian forces may be using Starlink for communication inside Ukraine. SpaceX’s response has been that the company “does not do business of any kind with the Russian Government or its military. 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.” While Starlink could prevent their service’s use in Russian-occupied territories, the Russian forces could employ methods making it difficult to exclude their terminals. The RNL’s Dr. Humphreys also suggested that “SpaceX may also be hesitant to tightly police the location of Starlinks” according to the Defense One article and that the company may “fear that a mistake in defining the front line could leave Ukraine without Starlink coverage.” For more on the story, visit the original article here.
