©Reuters. A Starlink satellite internet system is installed near the frontline town of Bakhmut during Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Democrats are investigating SpaceX into whether it is doing enough to stop Russia from using its Starlink satellite internet service as part of Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine, two people said on Thursday. parliamentarians.
In a letter to the company, the two Democrats said allegations by Ukrainian intelligence officials that Russian military forces had used Starlink terminals in eastern Ukraine were alarming and that the deployment could violate U.S. sanctions.
Russia’s alleged “misuse of Starlink terminals outside Russia’s internationally recognized borders poses a serious threat to the security of Ukraine, Ukrainian lives, and the national security of the United States,” the Jamie representatives wrote Raskin and Robert Garcia in letter to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell.
The Kremlin has denied that its troops use Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX owned by Elon Musk.
SpaceX representatives did not respond to a request for comment on the letter, first reported by the Washington Post.
Starlink terminals provide high-speed internet and were rushed to Ukraine’s aid following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, proving vital to Kiev’s battlefield communications.
In February, Ukrainian officials said Russia had obtained the terminals from Arab countries and deployed them in areas it controls in Ukraine. Kiev asked SpaceX to prevent Moscow from using them in occupied areas.
Starlink has said it does not do business of any kind with the Russian government or military, and Musk in a post on X last month said reports that the company was selling terminals to Russia were false.
The investigation by US lawmakers comes as Western nations rush to help Ukraine with more weapons and funding after Kiev’s failed counteroffensive last summer and after Russian forces regained the initiative on the battlefield.
Ukraine is preparing for a counteroffensive, more than two years after Russian troops invaded the neighboring former Soviet state.
Kiev has asked for more aid, but a vital US assistance package has been blocked by Republicans in Congress at the behest of former Republican President Donald Trump, who is making a third bid for the White House and has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US Democratic President Joe Biden plans to renew his call for a $95 billion arms aid package to Ukraine in his State of the Union address on Thursday evening.
In their letter, dated Wednesday, the Democratic lawmakers asked SpaceX to respond by March 20.