After playing games with providing Starlink services to the Ukrainian armed forces, it appears Russia is showing off new Starlink terminals on the battlefield.
Right now, Russian forces appear to be using tens of Starlink terminals across the long front, the first Ukrainian source said.
"When they have hundreds, it'll be hard for us to live," the first Ukrainian source said.
Russia's use of Starlink compounds the problems faced by the Ukrainian military, which is already severely short of munitions. Ukrainian artillery units, for example, are firing around 2,000 shells per day, barely a fifth as many as their Russian counterparts.
Reports that Russian forces were using the Starlink service within Ukraine first appeared in Ukrainian media, citing social-media posts. Prominent Russian volunteer groups supporting the Russian invasion have also shown off Starlink terminals purchased for army units.
Defense One
SpaceX claims the Russians aren't buying them direct from SpaceX and if they find out about mis-use they'll shut down terminals. On social media, the company has shared: "If SpaceX obtains knowledge that a Starlink terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorized party, we investigate the claim and take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed." I wonder how quickly they investigate complaints.
