Russian troops are increasingly bypassing Starlink blocking through accounts of Ukrainian citizens - media
Kyiv • UNN
Russian military personnel are purchasing Starlink terminals activated for Ukrainian citizens. Devices costing over 100,000 rubles are supplied through third countries.
Russian military personnel are circumventing restrictions on the use of Starlink by using terminals registered to Ukrainian citizens. This was reported by "Verstka" and Ukrainian radio technology specialist Serhiy Flash, writes UNN.
Details
According to journalists, after the unauthorized terminals were disconnected in early 2026, schemes for so-called "white Starlinks" appeared in Russia – devices that are first activated in Ukraine and then transferred to the Russian military.
How the scheme works
It is noted that the terminals are delivered to Ukraine, where they are registered to individuals or legal entities. After activation, the devices reach Russia through third countries or occupied territories.
Sellers offer both ready-made terminals and services for "verifying" accounts. According to the investigation, the cost of such devices can reach over 100,000 rubles.
Use at the front
Russian military personnel actively use Starlink for communication and drone control. After restrictions from Ukraine and its partners, they began to look for alternative ways to access the network.
At the same time, the military themselves admit that there is often no stable connection, and alternatives work worse.
Warning from the Ukrainian side
Ukrainian expert Serhiy Flash reported that a case of Starlink use was recorded, which was previously installed on a Ukrainian drone and was not deactivated after its loss.
The check showed that StarLink was previously installed on our drone and was not submitted for deactivation after the drone was lost… Please, keep an eye on this
Context
According to sources, communication problems for the Russian military intensified after Starlink's operations were restricted and access to messengers became more difficult.
Units also use alternative systems, including satellite internet and fiber-optic networks, but their effectiveness remains lower.