The once-difficult relationship between the company and Ukraine became even more tense after Ukrainian military intelligence accused Russian forces in the occupied territories of using SpaceX's Starlink terminals. Starlink CEO and founder Elon Musk denied this claim.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Service (GUR) said it had evidence that Russia's 83rd Commando Brigade used SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service in Krischivka and Andrivka in the partially occupied Donetsk region.
That evidence included a 12-second audio clip that the agency said was an intercepted conversation between two Russian soldiers discussing installing a Starlink terminal. One of them said: "Starlink works, there is internet."
"Cases of the use of specific devices by Russian occupiers have been registered. This has begun to become systematic," GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov told the Guardian.
Starlink and Musk both responded to the reports. Musk wrote in an X post that accusations that SpaceX sold Starlink terminals to Russia were completely false. "As far as we know, no Starlink company sells Starlink terminals directly or indirectly to Russia," he said.
Starlink's X post provides more details. It noted that SpaceX does not have any business dealings with the Russian government or military and that the service is not available in Russia, meaning it will not work in Russia. It also does not operate in Dubai or authorize any third-party intermediaries, resellers or distributors to sell Starlink in the country. "If SpaceX learns that a Starlink terminal is being used by a sanctioned or unauthorized party, we will investigate the claim and take action to deactivate the terminal if substantiated."
But neither message denies that the Russian military somehow obtained Starlink terminals and is using them in Ukraine. It has been speculated that the Russian military may be spoofing the location of Starlink terminals to circumvent its geofences and allow them to appear in permitted locations. Alternatively, the terminals could be used at locations SpaceX has opened to help Ukrainians.
SpaceX has supplied Ukraine with thousands of terminals since the war began and has kept service going, something Ukraine was initially grateful for but which angered Russia. But Musk warned that the company's funding could not continue indefinitely - although he later reneged on saying he would continue to fund communications services in Ukraine.
A year ago, SpaceX restricted Ukraine's use of Starlink satellite services for offensive military purposes, further straining relations between the two parties. There have been previous reports that Ukraine has been using Starlink to control drones. Another book claims that Musk shut down Starlink out of fear of nuclear retaliation when he attacked Russian ships in Ukraine.
In October 2022, Musk's Russian peace plan angered the Ukrainian people, but he also proposed a "one-on-one" fight with Putin to fight for the country's future.