Russian forces have begun threatening and coercing the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war to register Starlink satellite terminals for use by the Russian military, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
According to the headquarters, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, working with engineers from SpaceX, recently succeeded in disabling illegal Starlink terminals that Russian units had been using to maintain communications and operate kamikaze drones deep behind Ukrainian lines.
“Searching for a way out of their predicament, the occupiers have turned their attention to the families of prisoners of war,” the statement said, noting documented cases of threats and coercion aimed at forcing relatives to officially register Starlink terminals in their own names.
On Feb. 5, Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange that resulted in the return of 157 Ukrainians from Russian captivity. The swap was the first prisoner exchange of 2026 and the 71st since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian officials warned that the equipment, once registered, would be used against Ukraine and its citizens, including for directing drones attacking civilian infrastructure.
The Coordination Headquarters stressed that any form of cooperation with Russians is extremely dangerous. Officially registering a terminal requires identity verification, making it easy to trace the individual involved, it said.
“If a terminal is used to control drones that destroy infrastructure and take lives, the fact that it is registered to a Ukrainian citizen constitutes grounds for criminal liability,” the statement warns.
Officials said Russian forces are deliberately exploiting the vulnerability of families whose relatives are in captivity, adding that the fate of Ukrainians is of no concern to the occupiers, who view them as expendable.
The headquarters urged anyone who receives threats or demands to register Starlink terminals, or other forms of blackmail from Russian forces, to immediately contact the Coordination Headquarters and law enforcement agencies.
“We will advise what to do in order not to harm yourself or your loved ones,” the statement says.
Nearly 90% of Russian units lost connectivity after Elon Musk moved to shut down the service amid talks with Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, following reports that Russian forces were strapping Starlink terminals to long-range drones.
Ukrainian officials said they implemented a “whitelist” system that allows only approved Starlink terminals to connect to the network, effectively cutting off devices believed to be in Russian hands.
Ukrainian partisans said on Feb. 6 that widespread Starlink failures had left Russian battlefield command “effectively paralyzed” and sparked deadly incidents of friendly fire.