Following allegations by Ukraine that Russian forces were using the terminals on the front lines of the conflict, Elon Musk has refuted selling his Starlink internet service to the Russian government.
“SpaceX is allegedly selling Starlink terminals to Russia, according to a series of fake news sources. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and multiple other businesses, including Tesla, stated in a post on X on Monday that “this is categorically false.”
“As far as we are aware, no Starlinks have been supplied to Russia, either directly or indirectly.”
Moscow also denied Kyiv’s assertion that Starlink terminals were being used “systematically” in Russian-occupied Donetsk and had been smuggled into Russia.
According to Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, Starlink is not approved for usage in Russia.
Peskov informed reporters on Monday that “it cannot be officially supplied here and is not officially supplied here.”
According to intercepted communications between Russian forces, Starlink terminals have been placed among troops operating close to the towns of Klishchiivka and Andriivka, according to a report released by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR on Sunday.
On state television, GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov stated the Starlink terminals were entering Russia through unofficial routes rather than through parallel imports.
Last week, Starlink stated that the service “will not work” in Russia and that it “does not do business of any kind with the Russian Government or its military” in a post on X.
The military of Ukraine has acknowledged that Starlink has made it feasible for its men to coordinate attacks, exchange information, and communicate faster and more securely than they could have done over the phone or by radio.
