The lawmakers warned SpaceX’s president, Gwynne Shotwell, that Russia’s alleged use of Starlink “poses a serious threat to Ukraine’s security, Ukrainian lives, and U.S. national security”
“We are concerned that you may not have appropriate guardrails and policies in place,” Raskin and Garcia wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by The Washington Post.
The probe underscores how vital Starlink service has been to Ukraine’s war effort, providing the backbone of its digital communications on the battlefield since Russia invaded the country two years ago. SpaceX supplied Starlink terminals to Ukraine following a plea from Ukrainian government officials within hours of Russia’s attack. The Defense Department purchased 400 to 500 new terminals for Ukraine in June 2023, the letter says.
Yet there are long-running concerns about the broad influence that SpaceX and Musk, the company’s CEO and founder, wield over the conflict.
Ukrainian officials have said Starlink gives troops an essential upper hand, providing a reliable internet connection that allows soldiers to respond to group text messages, stream drone feeds of enemy forces and coordinate artillery strikes.
Lawmakers are worried that Starlink could now provide a similar advantage to Russia, after Ukrainian intelligence officials said in a February blog post that Russian troops were increasingly using Starlink satellite communication systems. The blog post cited radio intercepts of conversations of troops operating in eastern Ukraine. Andrii Yusov, a representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, told local media that Russia’s use of the technology was becoming “systematic,” according to the post. The same week, Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told the Wall Street Journal that Russia was using thousands of Starlink terminals in his country.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, and Garcia, the top Democrat on the national security subcommittee, said this alleged widespread use of the Starlink systems raises “additional questions about the efficacy of your company’s safeguards and compliance with U.S. sanctions and export controls.”
Musk has said reports that the company sells Starlink terminals to Russia are “categorically false.”
“To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia,” Musk said in a post on X. Musk also tweeted that Starlink satellites “will not close the link in Russia,” replying to an X user’s question about whether the company would know if a terminal was activated in Russia.
However, lawmakers write that they are concerned Russia could deploy the technology outside its borders. Ukrainian officials have suggested that Russian forces have obtained the terminals illegally, circumventing sanctions by buying them through intermediaries in neighboring countries, according to the lawmakers’ letter.
The lawmakers asked SpaceX what actions it has taken to eliminate security vulnerabilities that Russia could use to illegally acquire Starlink terminals, and they asked how the company is working with other U.S. regulators to prevent the illegal trade of satellite terminals.
The lawmakers are just beginning their investigation, but they plan to contact the Pentagon and other relevant agencies of jurisdiction.
“It remains critical that Russia be deprived of any trade that empowers its military,” the lawmakers wrote.
