Recently, Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) claimed that Russia has been purchasing Elon Musk's Starlink terminals and using them for war operations.
GUR revealed this information after acquiring an audio intercept of two Russian soldiers, who were allegedly buying Starlink internet terminals from Arab providers.
This photo taken on September 22, 2022, shows head of Ukraine's military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov attending a press conference in Kyiv. - Ukraine's defence minister will be preplaced by the chief of the military intelligence ahead of an expected Russian offensive and following corruption scandals.
Elon Musk quickly denied the allegations made by the Ukrainian government, saying that Russia can't possibly use his Starlink terminals since the space-based broadband firm doesn't do business with the Russian military or its government.
But, Ukrainian military spy chief Kyrylo Budanov rejected the billionaire's explanations. Here's what the Ukrainian official said.
Ukraine Spy Chief Gives Detailed Explanation How Russia Uses Starlink Terminals
Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said that Russian troops are using thousands of Starlink internet terminals, which are being purchased from Ukraine through Russian firms.
"It's an open market," said the Ukrainian military spy chief via Business Insider.
Budanov explained that the Russian military is able to buy these internet terminals from Russian private firms that disguise purchases for personal usage.
After that, they will ship Elon Musk's Starlink terminals to Kremlin through neighboring countries. This means that the Russian government isn't receiving them as military items.
However, what Budanov shared isn't verified by independent sources. But, if what the Ukrainian military official says is true, then the Russian military can use Starlink terminals to enable communications between front-line troops, as well as assist their drone launches and other military activities.
Related Article: US Judge Orders Elon Musk to Testify for 3rd Time in SEC's Twitter Probe
What Elon Musk Claims
Elon Musk pauses and looks down as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. - Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk delivered an eagerly-awaited update on SpaceX's Starship.
According to CNBC's previous report, Elon Musk defended his broadband company, saying that a number of fake news claiming that SpaceX sells Starlink terminals to the Russian military are spreading.
He said that to their knowledge, they haven't seen direct or indirect Starlink purchases made by Russia. However, the tech executive's explanations were rejected by GUR spokesperson Andriy Yusov.
"Yes, there have been recorded cases of use of these devices by the Russian occupiers. This is starting to take on a systemic nature," he explained.
As of press time, Elon Musk hasn't released a new explanation to defend himself and his company against the latest accusations made by the Ukrainian military spy chief.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry decided to stay quiet regarding the Starlink allegations.
Related Article: Ukraine Accuses Russia of Buying Starlink for War Operations; Elon Musk Denies Kyiv's Claims
