SpaceX’s Starlink satellite dishes are being sold to Russian and Sudanese paramilitary teams through third-party resellers or even sites like eBay, a new Wall Street Journal investigation reveals.
While Russian officials have continually threatened that Starlink may simply be a target of the military and that it may simply “retaliate” against Starlink satellites with a weapon or an anti-satellite system, Russian troops still appear to be employing Starlink and buying food through the WSJ. He calls it “a hard-to-understand source chain. “
The outlet spoke with the owner of a Russian e-commerce site that sells Starlink web hardware intended for the country’s military’s attacks on Ukraine. The investigation also exposed several other Russian sites promoting Starlink devices, with monthly fees starting at $100.
Middlemen would buy the dishes on eBay or from black-market sites. Russian volunteers then smuggle the Starlink device to its operating position. In the case of Russia, this basically considers regions of Ukraine where Russian troops are active lately. This has been a challenge for months, as the head of Ukrainian military intelligence said in February that the Russian military possessed “thousands” of Starlink antennas in Ukraine.
EBay told the WSJ that it complies with all legislation it operates, adding sanctions or foreign legislation.
Ukraine is working with SpaceX and U. S. government officials. The U. S. military has been used to prevent Russian forces from using Starlink, according to the report. Last month, Ukraine’s telecommunications authority said only registered Starlink devices would be able to work in its country, but it did not set a benchmark. It’s also unclear how those regulations could be enforced and how simple or complicated it might be for Russian troops to circumvent location-related restrictions.
Starlink is illegal in Sudan, but its Rapid Support Forces organization is also believed to be Starlink hardware, according to the WSJ. The paramilitary organization, which the U. S. government says has committed crimes against humanity, war crimes and other atrocities, has purchased “hundreds” of Starlink devices from vendors in the United Arab Emirates. Once purchased, Starlink terminals are shipped from the United Arab Emirates to Chad and then smuggled across the border into Sudan.
The Sudanese government claims that Starlink never responded to its request to deactivate Starlink terminals used in its country (Starlink’s service map states that the date of service for Sudan is “unknown at this time”). Starlink is also being used through Sudanese civilians.
Starlink’s policies prohibit users from promoting or moving their accounts, and the hardware also has some restrictions. However, Starlink’s website lists many “authorized resellers” in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Haiti, France. Malaysia, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, and Chile, to name a few.
The company’s terms of service state that users cannot purchase “an excessive number” of devices or parts from the company owned by Elon Musk, but do not specify what that number is. Starlink also states that it reserves the right to terminate users’ accounts at any time in case of violation of its rules.
I’m a journalist who covers the morning news. Prior to joining PCMag in 2024, I was a journalist and manufacturer at Decrypt and introduced their gaming vertical, GG. I’ve previously signed with Input, Game Rant, and Dot Esports. I’ve been a PC gamer since The Sims (yes, the original). In 2020, I finally built my first PC with a 3090 graphics card, but I also use Mac and iOS devices regularly. As a journalist, I’m passionate about locating scoops and documenting the vast world of the generation and how it affects our daily lives.
I’m a journalist who covers the morning news. Prior to joining PCMag in 2024, I was a journalist and manufacturer at Decrypt and introduced their gaming vertical, GG. I’ve previously signed with Input, Game Rant, and Dot Esports. I’ve been a PC gamer since The Sims (yes, the original). In 2020, I finally built my first PC with a 3090 graphics card, but I also use Mac and iOS devices regularly. As a journalist, I’m passionate about finding scoops and documenting the vast world of the generation and how it affects our daily lives.