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House Democrats probe SpaceX in Russia’s alleged Starlink use

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U.S. House Democrats have launched an investigation into SpaceX. The investigation follows allegations that Russia may be leveraging its Starlink satellite internet service for military operations in Ukraine, potentially breaching U.S. sanctions and threatening both Ukrainian and U.S. national security.

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Representatives Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., expressed concerns after Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces were utilizing Starlink terminals in the conflict.

In a swift response to Russia’s invasion in 2022, Starlink deployed its high-speed internet service across Ukraine, significantly enhancing the country’s battlefield communication capabilities. Acknowledging the service’s critical role, the U.S. Department of Defense procured approximately 500 Starlink terminals for Ukraine in 2023.

Starlink’s reliable internet connection has been pivotal for Ukrainian troops, enabling enhanced operational efficiency through real-time group messaging, drone surveillance streaming and the coordination of artillery strikes.

However, Ukrainian authorities now assert that Russian forces have similarly acquired Starlink capabilities, allegedly securing terminals through intermediaries in Arab countries and deploying them in occupied Ukrainian territories. Kyiv has called on SpaceX to inhibit Moscow’s access to these crucial services in the contested regions.

Despite the allegations, SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, vehemently deny any form of business dealings with the Russian government or military forces. Musk has publicly refuted claims of terminal sales to Russia on social media, branding such allegations as unfounded.

Raskin and Garcia have requested a formal response from SpaceX by March 20.

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LAUREN TAYLOR

U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE INVESTIGATING SPACEX AMID CONCERNS THAT RUSSIA MIGHT BE USING STARLINK SATELLITE INTERNET FOR MILITARY PURPOSES IN UKRAINE. 

REPRESENTATIVES JAMIE RASKIN AND ROBERT GARCIA, ALARMED BY UKRAINIAN CLAIMS OF RUSSIAN FORCES USING STARLINK TERMINALS, FEAR VIOLATIONS OF U.S. SANCTIONS COULD ENDANGER UKRAINE AND U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY. 

IN 2022, STARLINK RAPIDLY DEPLOYED HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACROSS UKRAINE, FOLLOWING RUSSIA’S INVASION. IN 2023, THE U-S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PURCHASED ROUGHLY 500 STARLINK TERMINALS FOR UKRAINE. 

STARLINK BOOSTS TROOP CAPABILITIES WITH DEPENDABLE INTERNET, ENABLING REAL-TIME GROUP TEXTS, STREAMING OF DRONE SURVEILLANCE, AND COORDINATION OF ARTILLERY STRIKES.

UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS CLAIM RUSSIA NOW HAS THAT CAPABILITY. ALLEGEDLY THEY ACQUIRED THEIR TERMINALS THROUGH ARAB COUNTRIES, USING THEM IN OCCUPIED REGIONS. UKRAINE HAS URGED SPACEX TO BLOCK MOSCOW’S ACCESS IN THESE AREAS.

DESPITE THESE ALLEGATIONS, SPACEX, WITH CEO ELON MUSK CLARIFYING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, DENIES ANY TRANSACTIONS WITH RUSSIA’S GOVERNMENT OR MILITARY, LABELING CLAIMS OF TERMINAL SALES AS BASELESS. 

RASKIN AND GARCIA ASKED SPACEX TO RESPOND TO THE INVESTIGATION  BY MARCH 20.