Russia is buying Starlink satellite Internet terminals in Arab countries, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine has found out.
Intelligence officers intercepted a conversation between the Russians about the purchase of communications equipment. One of them said that "the Arabs bring everything: wires, Wi-Fi, a router".
The cost of purchasing a Starlink terminal under this scheme is 200,000 roubles, which is more than $2,100. Officially, it costs up to $600.
"The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine reports that the aggressor state of Russia is purchasing communications equipment, including Starlink satellite Internet terminals in Arab countries for use in the war," the GUR said.
Starlink is a project of Elon Musk's SpaceX. The devices cannot be used in Russia and the territories it occupies, and last year Musk refused to expand coverage so that the Ukrainian Defence Forces could use it in a special operation in Crimea.
However, this year, coverage has already appeared in parts of the occupied territories of Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya regions. The official coverage map shows some of the occupied settlements as available for communication and even ordering devices.
The GRU confirmed that Russians are using Starlink at the front.
Musk assured that the devices were not sold to Russia either directly or indirectly.