A Russian soldier disclosed that the unit he served in had been utilizing Starlink terminals, noting that they were supplied to Russia via Arab countries.
Speaking in an intercepted call published by Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR), he said, “Let me order you a Starlink, or you'll be f***ed. Bro, you want Starlink?”
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“The Arabs supply us with everything: wires, Wi-Fi, router, whatever.”
The second interlocutor, allegedly the soldier as well, was complaining to his comrade about poor communication on the front line.
Kyiv Post sought confirmation of this information from HUR. A representative of Ukraine's Military Intelligence confirmed that Starlink terminals are indeed being supplied to Russian troops from Arab countries.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) on Sunday, Feb. 11, reported that the Russian military is indeed employing Starlink satellite communication systems in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
HUR released intercepted radio communications purportedly from Russian military personnel discussing the use of Starlink terminals by the 83rd airborne assault brigade in the Donetsk region for establishing Internet access.
Prior to that, on Friday, Feb. 9, the Defense One outlet had already reported that the Russian military had begun using Starlink services for communication several months ago.
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This image, annotated to highlight a Starlink terminal, was provided by a Ukrainian source who called it a screenshot of video from a Ukrainian drone participating in a strike on a Russian position inside Ukraine.
At the same time, the Astra edition published screenshots from Russian websites of Starlink sales advertisements for its “Special Military Operation.”
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has debunked reports circulating as false news claiming that the Russian military has obtained access to Starlink satellite Internet and is using it in the war zone in Ukraine.
Musk clarified on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter, owned by Musk’s company) that SpaceX has not sold any Starlink terminals to Russia directly or indirectly.
“A number of false news reports claim that SpaceX is selling Starlink terminals to Russia. This is categorically false. To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia,” he wrote on X.
When asked whether Russia could potentially utilize Starlink terminals acquired through intermediaries, Musk did not provide a direct response.
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