Russia’s President Putin's Troops ‘Using Elon Musk’s Starlink’ in Frontline Attacks on Kyiv Soldiers

Russian soldiers are using American billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink terminals in the frontline to lunch the attacks on the Ukrainian soldiers. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin’s troops are using the Starlink terminals to connect to satellite internet service, claimed Kyiv’s intelligence service, according to reports. Mostly, the Russian forces were using the terminals in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s GUR intelligence unit was quoted as saying.

The Ukrainian intelligence remarks came following a report by a US military publication that purported to show Starlink terminal on the frontline in the eastern Donbass. “Yes, there have been recorded cases of the Russian occupiers using these devices,” Andriy Yusov, GUR spokesperson was quoted as saying. “This is starting to take on a systemic nature,” he added.

Musk denies use of Starlink satellites in Russian-occupied territories

Twitter, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Musk has repeatedly denied the use of his starlink satellites in Russian-occupied territories, as per the biography of the billionaire published last year. Starlink was vital to Ukraine’s defence during the initial days of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

In September, Musk denied the satellite internet after Ukraine’s forces launched a surprise attack on Russian forces in the 2014 annexed Crimea peninsula. The biography of Musk revealed that the Ukrainians had asked Musk to provide the Starlink support to attack Russian naval vessels based at the Crimean port of Sevastopol. Musk had refused the request fearing that Russia might launch nuclear attack in response.

US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told Associated Press that the  US military tried to keep the funding going with the Starlink for continued support to Ukraine. After Musk refused services, he added, “If we’re going to rely upon commercial architectures or commercial systems for operational use, then we have to have some assurances that they’re going to be available,” Kendall said. “We have to have that. Otherwise they are a convenience and maybe an economy in peacetime, but they’re not something we can rely upon in wartime.”