Pentagon: Russia Still Using SpaceX Terminals In War

Roll Call reports:

The Defense Department is working with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to find and disable Starlink satellite internet terminals that have fallen into Russian hands, but the problem is not going away, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday. SpaceX’s Starlink terminals enabled Ukrainian forces to communicate with each other and with their families after Russia’s 2022 invasion had shut down Ukraine’s internet and telephone services.

Thousands of Starlink terminals have migrated to the black market, where Russia has obtained them and is using them to aid its operations in Ukraine. “Reports indicate that Russia has been able to buy Starlink terminals on the black market and that SpaceX has not cut off their access, and that provides a major advantage to Russia on the battlefield,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at a hearing on Tuesday.

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The @DeptofDefense is working with Elon Musk’s @SpaceX to find and disable @Starlink satellite internet terminals that have fallen into Russian hands, but the problem is not going away, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.https://t.co/GcLYkS8dNN

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) May 22, 2024