Ukraine urges U.S. investigation of possible Starlink use by Russia’s shadow fleet

A Ukrainian delegation asked U.S. officials to verify whether vessels in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” are using Starlink technology, a possible violation of U.S. sanctions policy, during a recent visit to Washington, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The concerns were prompted by a Kyiv Independent investigation which found indications that some sanctioned vessels may be equipped with Starlink systems. The discussion centered on whether those preliminary findings warranted further scrutiny by Washington, which would be responsible for determining whether U.S. sanctions had been violated.

Ukrainian officials emphasized that if confirmed, the use of American technology aboard sanctioned ships would constitute a direct violation of U.S. sanctions policy and asked the U.S. side to verify the claims independently.

"If a ship is under sanctions, it cannot receive any services, and Starlink is an American company," said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's representative on sanctions policy, who was part of the delegation.

At the same time, members of the Ukrainian delegation acknowledged to U.S. officials that they lacked conclusive evidence of Starlink use by the shadow fleet. The claims currently rely largely on sailors' testimonies cited in the Kyiv Independent investigation, the sources said.

The investigation — which spoke to Ukrainian sailors and other sources who worked aboard Russian shadow fleet vessels — indicates that communication between tankers and their operators is often maintained using Western technologies, including satellite phones and Starlink terminals. These vessels are believed to play a key role in helping the Kremlin circumvent sanctions and sustain revenues for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Previous reporting has also indicated that Russian forces have used unauthorized access to Starlink for military purposes in occupied Ukrainian territories. That access was significantly restricted after the Ukrainian government, in coordination with SpaceX, introduced a mandatory registration and whitelist system.

The Ukrainian delegation did not raise the matter in meetings with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, as it lacked substantiated evidence, sources said.

"I have no evidence that this is true. I think it is true. I understand how they can use it. They are spoofing their signal — they turn off the transponders. Starlink allows them to have full communication in conditions of a self-created blackout. But I do not know how to prove it," Vlasiuk said in a comment to the Kyiv Independent. "So I cannot raise it at an official level," he added.