Ukrainian paratroopers disabled a Starlink satellite communication terminal that had been discovered at Russian troops' positions near the front.
“The Russians have begun utilizing SpaceX's satellite communication platforms, which has been widely discussed. However, until now, we had not been able to film them,” the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reported.
Operators of reconnaissance UAVs from the 71st Hunter Brigade of the Airborne Assault Troops identified the modem. There were suspicions that it could have been “stolen or smuggled in.”
Via Telegram, the Airborne Assault Forces shared footage of a Ukrainian FPV drone maneuvering near the Starlink terminal, ultimately disabling it with a direct hit, followed by an explosion.
“Our FPV drones have zero tolerance for such intrusions and are committed to upholding international law and the integrity of a reputable company,” the report read.
“The occupiers do not have Starlink anymore. At least, not within the range of our brigade.”
On Sunday, Feb. 11, Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) disclosed the use of Starlink satellite communication systems by the Russian military in occupied Ukrainian territories.
The HUR released intercepted radio communications purportedly from Russian military personnel discussing the deployment of Starlink terminals by the 83rd airborne assault brigade in the Donetsk region for establishing Internet access.
Ukrainian Special Ops Report Eliminating 9 Russian Soldiers and Disabling Armored Vehicles with FPV Drones
Earlier, on Friday, Feb. 9, Defense One reported the commencement of Russian military use of Starlink services for communication several months prior.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, refuted circulating reports as misinformation, asserting that the Russian military has not acquired access to Starlink satellite Internet through direct or indirect sales from SpaceX.
Subsequently, a Russian soldier disclosed the utilization of Starlink terminals by the unit he served in, indicating their procurement by Russia through Arab countries.
In an intercepted call made public by Ukraine's Military Intelligence, he remarked: “The Arabs supply us with everything: wires, Wi-Fi, router, whatever.”
Kyiv Post reached out to HUR for confirmation. A representative confirmed that Starlink terminals are indeed being supplied to Russian troops via channels originating from Arab countries.
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Comments (3)
Starlink will shut down any individual account, if it knows when and where the dish antenna is receiving a signal. Russians may be able to get a account up and running temporarily by spoofing the location. But by the nature of the system, Starlink can shut down any receivers. If you able to steal a Ukrainian account, you could sneak access until Starlink shuts it off. It's not like a old time TV or radio signal.
Elon Musk is getting around the US by supplying StarLink devices to Saudi Arabia. The US needs to shut down StarLink or at the very least take control of it. Musk is anti American and pro Putin.
It’s interesting how Elon Musk was able to know exactly what was going on, and shut down Starlink access for Ukraine in order to prevent them from launching a strike on the Russians. However, he seems to be completely in the dark, and powerless to stop the Russian from using Starlink to aid in their war against Ukraine. One could be forgiven for reaching the conclusion that Musk supports Putin…
@Mark Rockford, a week ago I was seeing a lot of these headlines:
"Elon Musk claims that Russia isn't buying and using Starlink"
I guess they just magically appeared...