Recently, Pentagon representative Amanda Dory stated that SpaceX has been actively cooperating with the U.S. military to counter the unauthorized use of Starlink satellite communication terminals by russian invasion forces in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
Dory noted that approximately one out of every hundred Starlink terminals in Ukraine was identified as illegitimate, [likely referring to those in russian-occupied territories]. In response, the U.S. successfully disabled the service of several hundred unauthorized terminals.
Read more: Starlink in the russian Army: Does It Really Work and How It Can be Disabled
Previously, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that SpaceX is assisting in denying the russian military access to Starlink services. Dory emphasized that the Pentagon is aware that russian forces are adapting and will likely seek new methods to regain access to this critical communication tool.
Defense Express reminds, earlier this year, in February 2024, initial reports emerged suggesting that the russian occupation army might be using Starlink satellite internet from SpaceX. At that time, the information was unverified.
By May, the Pentagon acknowledged that russian forces were indeed using Starlink terminals for communication in occupied Ukrainian territories and admitted that standard methods might not resolve the issue.
The russian federation employs a straightforward yet effective method to obtain Starlink terminals: purchasing them through intermediaries and paying with non-russian bank cards. As a result, simply blocking each terminal would be ineffective, as russia could easily replace blocked devices with new ones.
A more effective solution proposed in the Pentagon was to establish a whitelist. Under this system, only official terminals listed for use by the Ukrainian Defense Forces would be operational, while all others would be blocked within Ukraine and its occupied territories.
Read more: Ukrainian Warriors Find Approach to Destroying russian Starlinks
