Using Starlink ruse, Ukrainian cyber forces trick Russian soldiers into revealing positions, donating to armed forces
A Ukrainian cyber unit claims it tricked Russian soldiers into revealing their positions and donating money to Ukraine's Armed Forces by pretending to help them reconnect Starlink devices they were using on the battlefield.
Russian forces have long been using unauthorized Starlink access to operate drones and other military equipment in occupied areas of Ukraine, but this was effectively switched off last week after the Ukrainian government, in cooperation with SpaceX, introduced a mandatory registration and "whitelist system.
Monopolizing on Russia's desperation to regain access to a crucial battlefield technology, Ukrainian cyber forces posed as a Russian-linked activation service offering to help restore terminals that had been disconnected under the new registration rules.
The operation was carried out by the 256th Cyber Assault Division in cooperation with the InformNapalm and MILITANT, according to a statement published on social media on Feb. 12.
Russian servicemen were instructed to submit identifying information and the coordinates of their terminals under the guise that the devices would be reactivated through Ukrainian administrative service centers.
The group said they collected 2,420 data packets related to Russian-used terminals and transferred them to Ukrainian law enforcement and defense agencies. According to the statement, the data was provided to authorities "for final transfer into brick mode," referring to the disabling of the terminals.
The group claims the terminals were subsequently deactivated. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
The group also said it received $5,870 from Russian soldiers seeking to restore connectivity which it is donating to fundraising efforts for Ukrainian drones.
It also identified 31 Ukrainian "traitors" willing to assist Russian forces by registering terminals. According to the statement, that information has been forwarded to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
Starlink, which provides high-speed satellite internet without reliance on local mobile networks, has become critical infrastructure on both sides of the war. Ukrainian forces rely heavily on the system for frontline communications and drone coordination. At the same time, Kyiv has accused Russia of exploiting the technology to improve battlefield connectivity.
On Feb. 10, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Russia was coercing the families of Ukrainian POWs into registering Starlink terminals, describing the tactic as another attempt to bypass Ukraine’s new verification system.
