- Elon Musk denied Ukrainian claims that Russians are using Starlink.
- Musk said that Starlink is inoperable in Russia
Elon Musk declared on Sunday that the claim made by Ukraine that Russia is utilizing Starlink in their current conflict is untrue.
Musk’s satellites are being used by Russia, according to Ukrainian military intelligence earlier on Sunday, to improve communication in combat zones. Claiming that the Russians were communicating using Starlink, the intelligence service released recordings of a conversation between two Russian soldiers from the 83rd Assault Brigade in the Donetsk area.
Elon Musk denied Ukrainian claims that Russians are using Starlink.
The number of terminals that Ukraine’s intelligence felt Russia possessed, as well as the possible means of acquisition, were not disclosed. However, according to Andriy Yusov, the spokeswoman for Ukrainian military intelligence, Russian use of Starlink is becoming “systemic.”
Musk disputes this.
“SpaceX is allegedly selling Starlink terminals to Russia, according to a series of fake news sources. In reaction to the reports, Musk wrote on X, “This is categorically false.” “As far as we are aware, no Starlinks have been supplied to Russia, either directly or indirectly.”
Elon explained in a follow-up remark that Starlink will not establish a connection with Russian devices.
“Starlink satellites will not close the link in Russia,” Musk stated in a post.
“Starlink is not active in Russia,” according to a statement released by Space X on Thursday.
The business stated on X that “we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed” if SpaceX learns that a Starlink terminal is being used by an authorized or unauthorized person.
Musk and Space X did not, however, make it clear if the technology might be applied in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Before accessing Starlink satellites, users who purchase Starlink services are required to undergo an authentication process and are assigned a unique identification.
According to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, Russian soldiers might have linked to the satellites by using Starlink equipment that they could have acquired from Ukrainians during combat.
“It is possible that Russian forces have captured Starlink equipment from Ukrainian soldiers, allowing them to tap into the Starlink network,” according to the Journal.
Business Insider’s request for comment was not immediately answered by Space X or the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
Russia has been attempting to deny Ukraine access to Starlink satellites, which the beleaguered area has been depending on for communications, since the start of the conflict.
According to space warfare researchers who talked with Business Insider, Russia has not been successful in jamming Starlink thus far.
Summary
- Elon Musk denies Ukraine’s claim that Russia is using Starlink in their conflict.
- Ukrainian military intelligence claims that Starlink is being used by Russia to improve communication in combat zones.
- Musk denies the claim and claims SpaceX is selling Starlink terminals to Russia.
- He clarifies that Starlink will not establish a connection with Russian devices and that SpaceX will deactivate the terminal if confirmed.
- SpaceX and Musk do not clarify if the technology might be applied in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
- An investigation by the Wall Street Journal suggests Russian soldiers might have linked to the satellites using Starlink equipment acquired from Ukrainians during combat.
- Russia has been attempting to deny Ukraine access to Starlink satellites since the conflict began.
