A Falcon 9 rocket launches the Starlink mission from Florida on February 27, 2023.
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Ukraine's main military intelligence agency has accused the Russian military of using Starlink terminals manufactured by Elon Musk's SpaceX company in occupied territories.
Starlink was adamant. The company said its satellite network has not been operated or sold in Russia since its terminals were delivered to Ukraine to facilitate battlefield communications for the Ukrainian military after the February 2022 invasion.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there claiming that SpaceX is selling Starlink terminals to Russia. This is completely false,” Musk posted on his social media platform X on Sunday.
“To our knowledge, Starlink has never been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.”
The Kyiv Intelligence Directorate (GUR) claimed on Sunday that there is growing evidence that Russian forces have used the equipment in the Donetsk region of partially occupied eastern Ukraine.
“Yes, there are documented cases of the use of these devices by the Russian occupiers. This is beginning to take on an organized nature,” GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov told RBC Ukraine.
GUR said in a statement on its website that radio intercepts of conversations between Russian troops showed that Starlink terminals were installed in units of the Russian 83rd Assault Brigade operating in Donetsk, near the towns of Krysiivka and Andriivka. He said it was found.
Russia's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
“SpaceX does not do business of any kind with the Russian government or military,” Starlink said in a Feb. 8 post on X.
“Starlink is not active in Russia, meaning the service does not function in that country. SpaceX has never sold or marketed Starlink in Russia, nor has it shipped equipment to locations within Russia. If Russian stores claim to sell Starlink for service in that country, they are deceiving customers.”
