EU Sanctions Against Starlink Over Russia Use 'Premature'

Pressure is growing on SpaceX owner Elon Musk to address the reported use of the Starlink satellite internet network by Russian soldiers fighting in occupied Ukraine, which Kyiv's defense intelligence service has said is " beginning to take on a systemic nature."

Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) said on Sunday that Russian forces had been found using Starlink, citing intercepted radio transmissions of Russian soldiers discussing attempts to set up the terminals. This followed numerous reports from frontline Ukrainian troops of Starlinks active in Russian-held areas.

"They are trying to show that they are not isolated, even by some Americans," Oleksandr Merezhko—a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the body's foreign affairs committee—told Newsweek of the Russians using the satellite internet network. The system has proved vital for Ukrainian front-line units over two years of war.

Urmas Paet, a member of the European Parliament who previously served as Estonia's foreign minister, told Newsweek the GUR report should be taken seriously, though added he would not support EU or international measures against SpaceX. "If Ukraine confirms that Russia uses Starlink, then it is so," he said.

"They may have received it through third countries. And Musk should find a solution to this situation. For example, [he] should shut down the Starlink systems for the Russians," Paet said.

"EU leaders should also engage with their U.S. counterparts on this issue. But based on current information, EU sanctions against Starlink would still be premature."

The European Parliament does not have the power to impose sanctions. Only the European Council, made up of the leaders of member states, can do so.

SpaceX and Musk have denied the provision of Starlink terminals to Russia. "To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia," Musk said this week.

Apparent Starlink usage by Russian troops is another Musk grievance for Kyiv, which has railed against the billionaire's calls for a ceasefire and peace talks that would leave Moscow in control of swathes of Ukraine.

Musk has been criticized as a "useful idiot" peddling Russian propaganda talking points and was lambasted in Ukraine and by Kyiv's allies abroad for his refusal to allow Ukrainian forces to use Starlink to launch a surprise attack on the Russian Navy in Crimea.

A SpaceX company statement noted: "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."

SpaceX has said that its Starlink terminals will not work in Russia but has not specified whether they can operate in occupied Ukraine. The Kremlin has also denied any official Starlink usage in Russia.

Newsweek reached out to SpaceX via email for comment.

The coverage map on Starlink's website shows almost all of Ukraine—including Russian-held parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv oblasts—as waitlisted for service, though Starlink access has long been available across the parts of the nation controlled by Kyiv.

GUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov said the terminals in Russian use were being supplied as "contraband from third countries." The independent IStories investigative journalism site reported this week that the terminals had been connected via Starlink networks in Poland, having been acquired through unknown third nations.

Early reports credited third-party suppliers in the United Arab Emirates with direct sales to Russian servicemembers. The GUR said the Starlinks were being sold in unnamed "Arab countries."

Merezhko said Kyiv has "problems with some countries, including the UAE, which help Russia to circumvent sanctions. In my opinion, our allies and partners should introduce secondary sanctions against those countries which help Russia to circumvent sanctions."