Russia seeks to bypass Starlink blockages with help from Ukrainians
Illustrative photo: Ukrainians warned against registering Russian Starlink terminals (Getty Images)
Russia is trying to recruit Ukrainians to register Russian Starlink terminals. All citizens have been warned — this carries a risk of life imprisonment, according to a statement from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Telegram.
Read also: Not all is lost: what Russia could use to replace Starlink on frontline
The Russian army has encountered Starlink blockages along the entire front line. To restore the terminals’ operation, it is offering trusting Ukrainians money to register Russian devices at administrative service centers (TsNAPs).
"The enemy acts both directly — by posting advertisements online with requests for registration — and through manipulation. In particular, they impersonate Ukrainian military personnel who allegedly 'purchased Starlink at their own expense and currently cannot register it,' and therefore turn to Ukrainian citizens 'for help,'" the statement reads.
Life imprisonment for collaborating with the Russian forces
Ukrainians have been urged not to fall for such provocations and warned about criminal liability for these actions.
"This cooperation with the occupiers is classified under the Criminal Code of Ukraine as treason in wartime conditions (Part 2, Article 111) and carries life imprisonment with confiscation of property," the SBU warned.
It is noted that citizens who voluntarily assist the Russian army become accomplices in their crimes, contributing to the deaths of both Ukrainian defenders and civilians, as well as to the shelling of Ukrainian cities.
Background
Earlier, it became known that Russia has been increasingly using Starlink on drones. This allowed them to bypass Ukrainian air defense and electronic warfare systems.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, reported that the Ministry of Defense quickly contacted SpaceX to address this issue.
Following this, the Ministry of Digital Transformation announced that Ukraine is implementing a whitelist mode. This refers to a list of verified Starlink terminals that would operate stably for each Ukrainian user, but not for the enemy.
The Russians, looking for a way out of the difficult Starlink situation they face, have turned their attention to the families of prisoners. In particular, they are trying to force them, through threats and demands, to register the terminals in their names officially.
