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Ukraine Uncovers Kyiv Network Registering 76 Starlink Terminals for Russian Strikes
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Ukrainian counterintelligence has detained two Russian agents in Kyiv for illegally registering and activating 76 Starlink satellite terminals for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on July 24.
The suspects, identified as unemployed residents recruited through Telegram channels offering quick earnings, initially registered satellite internet devices in their own names before passing account credentials to their FSB handler, according to the SBU.
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The agents subsequently utilized fraudulent Ukrainian passports to illegally activate additional terminals, collaborating with a postal worker who helped them bypass established Starlink verification protocols.
Russian military forces intended to use the 76 activated satellite terminals to coordinate missile and drone strikes across Ukraine and detect electronic warfare systems protecting frontline positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the agency reported.
SBU officers arrested both operatives at their residences and seized mobile phones containing evidence of their communications with Russian intelligence, while law enforcement successfully blocked all illegally registered Starlink terminals during the operation. The detainees face life imprisonment with property confiscation after being formally charged with high treason committed under martial law, the SBU stated.
Russian forces have repeatedly sought to exploit the satellite network through gray-market procurement, leading SpaceX founder Elon Musk to publicly respond to Ukrainian officials in January regarding unauthorized terminal usage by the Russian troops.
Enforcement measures against black-market terminals had also previously allowed Ukrainian forces to advance in the Zaporizhzhia region after a widespread Starlink shutdown degraded Russian operational command and control capabilities across the frontline.
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