2 Ukrainians Face Life in Prison for Allegedly Helping Russia Access Starlink

Two Ukrainian citizens are facing life in prison for allegedly helping the Russian military use SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service.

Earlier this month, Ukraine imposed a “whitelist” to block Russian soldiers from using unregistered Starlink dishes in the country. To circumvent the whitelist, Russia has allegedly been trying to recruit Ukrainians to register Starlink dishes and then hand them over to the Russians. On Tuesday, the Security Service of Ukraine announced it had detained two citizens who agreed to register Starlink dishes for the “Russian occupiers”—in exchange for just $30.

Russia recruited the two unemployed citizens, a 36-year-old man and his 28-year-old roommate, through the messaging app Telegram. In return, they were offered $30 per registered Starlink dish. “In order to activate more such devices, the suspects tried to involve other people in the scheme,” the Security Service of Ukraine added. 

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As evidence, Ukrainian authorities pointed to mobile phones seized from the two citizens, which show communications with the Russians, including instructions on how to register Starlink equipment on Ukraine’s official whitelist. The Ukrainian government has charged the two citizens with high treason, the penalty for which is life in prison.

Starlink has become a lifeline for Ukrainian forces, but Russian soldiers have also been connecting to it via thousands of black market satellite dishes. While Starlink is unavailable in Russia, Moscow’s invading forces have smuggled in Starlink hardware to stay connected. In recent months, Russian forces have been even outfitting drones with Starlink dishes to commit remote attacks deep within Ukrainian territory.  

In response, Ukraine and SpaceX took the drastic measure of implementing the whitelist, requiring both Ukrainian civilians and businesses to register their Starlink dishes with official service centers. The whitelist appears to have worked, causing Russian troops to lose a critical communications resource and blunting their offensive capabilities, according to the BBC.  

However, the Security Service of Ukraine warns that Russia has been trying to recruit Ukrainians willing to help them get connected to Starlink through online ads and by impersonating Ukrainian military personnel.

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Senior Reporter

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Experience

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

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