Warren urges Pentagon to investigate Russian use of Musk’s Starlink in Ukraine
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is urging the Department of Defense to investigate claims that Russian forces have acquired and started using the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine.
Billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk initially launched the Starlink service in Ukraine in the spring of 2022 to support the Ukrainian government and military units combating Russian invasion forces in the country. However, recent reports suggest that Starlink internet service terminals have made their way into the hands of Russian forces on the opposing side of the conflict.
Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) first expressed concerns about Russian forces utilizing the Starlink service on Feb. 11. The GUR reported that Ukrainian intelligence intercepted radio transmissions where Russian soldiers mentioned procuring terminals for the satellite internet service through third-party dealers in Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Mr. Musk has denied the allegations, stating, “To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.” SpaceX has also affirmed that they do not provide services in Russia or sales through the UAE, promising to investigate allegations and deactivate Starlink terminals if they are misused.
Despite Mr. Musk’s denials, House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) penned a letter to SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell, urging her to address the claims about Starlink more directly.
Now, Ms. Warren is intensifying the scrutiny on Starlink by requesting Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to instruct the DoD to investigate the issue. Ms. Warren referenced an April 9 report from the Wall Street Journal that alleged a “shadowy supply chain” of Starlink equipment passing through Africa, Southeast Asia, and the UAE. The report claimed that Starlink terminals had not only reached Russian troops in Ukraine but also a rebel faction in Sudan accused of war crimes by the U.S. government.
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“This continuous evasion of US sanctions and export controls has ‘diminished a strategic advantage once held by Ukrainian forces,’” Ms. Warren cited from the Wall Street Journal article. “DoD must take action to ensure that DoD contractors are held responsible for any misuse of their technology by hostile entities, so we can effectively support and equip our allies in their resistance against Russia’s unlawful invasion.”
Ms. Warren highlighted that the DoD currently has a $23 million contract with SpaceX to provide Starlink services to Ukraine.
Pentagon ‘Throwing Up Their Hands’ Dealing With SpaceX: Warren
In her letter, Ms. Warren alleged the DoD has been excessively deferential to Mr. Musk and SpaceX in addressing the assertions that Starlink systems are being misappropriated.
The Massachusetts senator pointed out that Mr. Musk proposed a peace agreement in the Ukraine conflict in October 2022, which “did not align with U.S. foreign policy objectives.” Nevertheless, the DoD contract for Starlink services in Ukraine has persisted despite differing viewpoints on the Ukraine war.
“DoD officials also seem to be at a loss when it comes to curtailing the national security threat posed by the sale and use of Starlink devices on the black market,” Ms. Warren’s letter stated.
Ms. Warren also highlighted a statement by U.S. Assistant Secretary for Space Policy John Plumb at the 2024 Space Symposium in April, where he remarked, “I don’t think that DoD is in a position to make them [SpaceX] do these things, so I’ll just say that…[its] something we just have to bake in and understand.”
The Democratic Senator found Mr. Plumb’s remarks concerning.
“DoD officials also seem to be at a loss when it comes to curtailing the national security threat posed by the sale and use of Starlink devices on the black market,” she reiterated.
Ms. Warren urged Mr. Austin to disclose how many allegations of sanctions violations involving Starlink the DoD, U.S. Treasury Department, or other Biden administration officials have investigated. She also requested the DoD to identify any known tools for restricting Starlink’s usage near the frontlines or in areas of Ukraine held by Russia, as well as any cases where SpaceX deactivated a Starlink terminal detected to be misused in Ukraine. She called for the DoD to furnish relevant records by June 5.
NTD News reached out to SpaceX for comment on Ms. Warren’s letter but had not received a response by the time of publication.
Mr. Musk and SpaceX have come under repeated scrutiny from Ms. Warren in her congressional oversight endeavors.
In September, Ms. Warren called for a DoD investigation into claims that Mr. Musk prevented a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-controlled Crimean Peninsula by blocking Starlink services in that region. These allegations arose from a biography of Mr. Musk authored by Walter Isaacson. The author later revised his portrayal of the incident, indicating that Starlink services were never active around Crimea.
“When the Ukrainian military discovered that Starlink was inhibiting a successful strike, Musk received frantic calls and messages requesting him to switch on the coverage … Musk responded that the design of the drones was impressive, but he declined to activate coverage for Crimea, arguing that Ukraine ‘is now going too far and inviting strategic defeat,’” Mr. Isaacson wrote in an addendum to an excerpt of his book published in the Washington Post.
In December 2022, Ms. Warren also wrote to the board of directors of Tesla, one of Mr. Musk’s other companies, regarding his acquisition of the Twitter social media platform. Ms. Warren raised concerns that the billionaire’s purchase of Twitter detracted from his leadership and fiduciary responsibilities to Tesla and its shareholders.
