WP: Democrats probe Musk’s SpaceX Examining Russia’s alleged Starlink use

According to the article published by the Washington Post, House Democrats opened an investigation of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, examining whether the company implemented adequate safeguards to prevent Russia from deploying its Starlink satellite internet service in its war against Ukraine.

Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) sent a letter Wednesday night demanding that the company report complaints about potential illegal acquisitions of Starlink terminals, including in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The lawmakers said they were alarmed by Ukrainian intelligence officials’ allegations that Russian forces deployed the company’s terminals in eastern Ukraine, potentially running afoul of U.S. sanctions.

The lawmakers warned SpaceX’s president, Gwynne Shotwell, that Russia’s alleged use of Starlink “poses a serious threat to Ukraine’s security, Ukrainian lives, and U.S. national security”.

“We are concerned that you may not have appropriate guardrails and policies in place,” Raskin and Garcia wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by The Washington Post.

The probe underscores how vital Starlink service has been to Ukraine’s war effort, providing the backbone of its digital communications on the battlefield since Russia invaded the country two years ago. SpaceX supplied Starlink terminals to Ukraine following a plea from Ukrainian government officials within hours of Russia’s attack. The Defense Department purchased 400 to 500 new terminals for Ukraine in June 2023, the letter says.

Yet there are long-running concerns about the broad influence that SpaceX and Musk, the company’s CEO and founder, wield over the conflict.

Ukrainian officials have said Starlink gives troops an essential upper hand, providing a reliable internet connection that allows soldiers to respond to group text messages, stream drone feeds of enemy forces and coordinate artillery strikes.

Lawmakers are worried that Starlink could now provide a similar advantage to Russia after Ukrainian intelligence officials said in a February blog post that Russian troops were increasingly using Starlink satellite communication systems.

The blog post cited radio intercepts of conversations of troops operating in eastern Ukraine. Andrii Yusov, a representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, told local media that Russia’s use of the technology was becoming “systematic,” according to the post. The same week, Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov told the Wall Street Journal that Russia was using thousands of Starlink terminals in his country.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.