Pentagon says it has managed to block hundreds of Russian 'illegal' Starlink links

According to Pentagon spokesperson Amanda Dorey, SpaceX has been actively cooperating with the US military to counter the illegal use of Starlink satellite communication terminals in Ukraine by the Russian occupiers.

Here's What We Know

According to Dori, approximately one in a hundred Starlink terminals was found to be illegal in Ukraine. Bloomberg noted that several hundred unconfirmed terminals were shut down.

Earlier, the Pentagon explained that SpaceX was helping to limit the use of Starlink terminals by the Russian occupation forces. Amanda Dorey also stressed that the department understands that the Russian occupation forces are adapting to the situation and are likely to look for new ways to gain access to one of the most important communication tools.

It is worth noting that back in February this year, it was reported that the Russians were illegally purchasing Starlink systems to improve coordination on the battlefield. At the time, the Pentagon said that it would be too difficult, if not impossible, to solve this problem, as standard methods of blocking Starlink terminals would not work. This is because it is impossible to distinguish between Ukrainian systems and illegal Russian ones.

The Russians have found an easy but effective way to illegally activate satellite terminals. They buy them from intermediaries, and the payment is made from a card not issued by a Russian bank. Therefore, simply blocking each terminal will only lead to the fact that for every one blocked, Russia will simply buy a new one.

Source: Bloomberg