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House Democrats are probing whether Elon Musk’s SpaceX implemented adequate safeguards to prevent Russia from deploying the company’s Starlink satellite internet service in its war against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military spy agency’s spokesperson told Reuters in mid-February that Russian forces were obtaining Starlink satellite terminals illicitly from third countries and increasing their use on the front line of the countries’ war.
Andriy Yusov, the military official, said work was underway to prevent Russian forces using the high-speed satellite internet terminals produced by SpaceX to coordinate attacks in occupied parts of Ukraine.
In a letter sent to SpaceX on Wednesday night, Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., demanded the company report complaints about potential illegal acquisitions of Starlink terminals, including in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, The Washington Post reported.
They want to know how the company is working with other U.S. regulators to prevent the illegal trade of satellite terminals.
The lawmakers said they were alarmed Russian forces potentially were running afoul of U.S. sanctions by using the company’s terminals.
Raskin and Garcia told SpaceX’s President Gwynne Shotwell that Russia’s alleged use of Starlink “poses a serious threat to Ukraine’s security, Ukrainian lives, and U.S. national security.”
“We are concerned that you may not have appropriate guardrails and policies in place,” the lawmakers wrote, the Post reported.
Starlink service has been vital to Ukraine’s war effort since Russia invaded in February 2022. SpaceX supplied Starlink terminals to Ukraine within hours of Russia’s attack.
The terminals allow soldiers to respond to group text messages, stream drone feeds of enemy forces and coordinate artillery strikes.
According to Raskin and Garcia’s letter, the U.S. Defense Department purchased 400 to 500 new terminals for Ukraine in June 2023.
A February blog post, citing radio intercepts of conversations of troops operating in eastern Ukraine, said Russian troops were increasingly using Starlink satellite communication systems.
The alleged use of the Starlink systems raises “additional questions about the efficacy of your company’s safeguards and compliance with U.S. sanctions and export controls,” according to Raskin, ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committee, and Garcia, ranking member on the national security subcommittee.
Musk took to X on Feb. 11 to say that reports claiming his company was selling Starlink terminals to Russia were “categorically false.”
“To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia,” Musk said.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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