Ukraine claims Moscow’s troops are using the Starlink service on the front line
US lawmakers have launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s SpaceX, after claims that Russian troops used the company’s Starlink satellite service in the conflict with Ukraine, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) and Robert Garcia (D-California) sent a letter on Wednesday demanding that SpaceX report complaints about the potential illegal use of Starlink terminals.
The Democratic lawmakers reportedly voiced alarm over Ukrainian allegations that Russian forces had deployed Starlink terminals, potentially breaching US sanctions laws.
The lawmakers are said to have warned SpaceX’s president, Gwynne Shotwell, that Russia’s alleged use of Starlink “poses a serious threat to Ukraine’s security, Ukrainian lives, and US national security.”
“We are concerned that you may not have appropriate guardrails and policies in place,” Raskin and Garcia wrote in a letter seen by the Post.
They also announced plans to contact the Pentagon and other agencies, stating that “it remains critical that Russia be deprived of any trade that empowers its military.”
Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) previously claimed that Russian troops are increasingly using Starlink services on the battlefield, citing conversations allegedly intercepted between Russian military personnel.