Half of Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine found in Russian-occupied areas, US agency says
Nearly half of the active Starlink satellite terminals supplied to Ukraine have ended up in territories fully or partially occupied by Russia, raising concerns about potential misuse, according to a report by the U.S. Office of Inspector General.
The terminals were supplied by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX corporation, which produces them.
Ukraine has relied on Starlink to restore internet access and power to hospitals, schools and emergency services during widespread blackouts caused by Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
According to the report, USAID failed to establish adequate safeguards for more than 5,000 terminals it delivered to Ukraine's government following Russia's February 2022 invasion.
The agency purchased 1,508 terminals while SpaceX donated 3,667.
Ukraine's Special Communications Service distributed them without tracking or usage restrictions, which "increased the risk of misuse for military or intelligence operations or theft by Russian forces," the Inspector General's report claims.
Public section of the report do not provide direct evidence that Russian forces actually used the terminals. Some parts of the document are redacted and are considered classified.
On April 11, 2022, USAID's initial draft agreement with the Ukrainian side would have prohibited military use of Starlink and required written assurances from all recipients. However, the final transfer documents signed in April 2022 omitted these conditions, relying on Ukrainian authorities to prevent misuse.
The documents did not include SpaceX's location restrictions, which prohibited terminal use in the frontline Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine.
As a result, Ukrainian authorities may have been unaware of these restrictions when they transferred 43 USAID-provided terminals to these areas between May and August 2022, according to the report.
The agency admitted it did not know where the terminals were located or how they were being used between up to the start of the inspection in July 2024.
Officials said monitoring was "logistically impossible" during the war's early stages when staff evacuated or sheltered in hotels.
Along with the humanitarian purposes, Ukraine has used Starlink terminals to pilot drones, target artillery strikes and coordinate battlefield communications, according to media reports cited in the document.
SpaceX restricted Ukraine from using Starlink for drone operations in early 2023 after learning about the military applications.
The Inspector General recommended USAID work with Ukrainian authorities and SpaceX to suspend service for at-risk terminals. The agency partially agreed but said it would only address the 1,508 terminals it directly financed.
As of April 2025, Ukraine has received over 50,000 Starlink terminals from international partners and donors. Poland has been the largest single supplier, providing around 29,500 terminals.
According to Reuters, Elon Musk ordered the deactivation of Starlink satellite coverage over part of Ukraine's Kherson Oblast during a major counteroffensive in the fall of 2022.
