- Starlink terminals are widely used by Russian forces in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported.
- An obscure black market makes this possible, despite Elon Musk’s attempts to limit their military use.
- Terminals are also exported from Russia to countries like Sudan, through complex channels, it was found.
Starlink terminals are sold, shipped and used in occupied Ukraine through a complex black market that also extends to Sudan, the Wall Street Journal reported.
President Vladimir Putin’s forces regularly use technology developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to coordinate attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, with the help of a complex informal network of black market sellers and Russian volunteers, the media outlet reported.
The easy-to-activate hardware gave Ukraine a boost at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, but according to the Journal, Putin’s forces this year managed to bring it onto the battlefield on a large scale. scale, despite many restrictions.
Reports of Starlink being used in conflicts – by Ukraine and Russia – highlight the difficulties tech companies face navigating complex geopolitics.
The Journal also reports that a similar black market also thrives in Sudan, although use of the terminals is not permitted there.
The terminals are activated in Dubai and then shipped to Sudan via Chad or South Sudan, the newspaper reported. Hundreds of terminals fell into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces, an anti-government paramilitary, according to the newspaper.
SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment, sent outside of business hours.
In Russia, according to the Journal, sellers buy the terminals abroad – including in the United States – or on eBay, then smuggle them into the country, before they are transferred by volunteers to Russian troops in Ukraine.
In early February, Musk rejected claims by Ukrainian military intelligence that the terminals were being systematically used by Russian forces in Ukraine.
“To our knowledge, no Starlink has been sold directly or indirectly to Russia,” he added. Musk wrote about.
Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhailo Fedorov said he was working with SpaceX to resolve this issue.
House Democrats also pressured Musk to act, saying Russian military use of the technology is “potentially in violation of U.S. sanctions and export controls.”
Yet, according to the Journal, online retailers in Russia openly advertise the technology, sometimes establishing direct links with American sellers on eBay.
Starlink has the ability to “geotag” devices to prevent their use in countries where they are not authorized, as well as the power to turn off individual terminals. But Russian sellers say Crimea and occupied Ukraine are not subject to such control, the outlet reported.
Musk has long sought to limit military use of Starlink, stipulating in the technology’s terms of use that it is intended only for civilians.
Last year, the company said it was trying to limit Ukraine’s military use of the terminals, the Journal reported, and in September, Musk’s biographer revealed that the billionaire had earlier in the conflict blocked Ukraine’s use of Starlink near Crimea, thereby foiling the country’s plans for an attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
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