According to the Ukrainian website "Defense Express", Russian drones are currently actively using "Starlink" hardware for "unlimited" communication over Ukrainian territory. Last week, the Kiev Defense Forces shot down 28 drones that were part of Russia's attack on the Kharkiv region, and some Starlink branded equipment was first seen in the wreckage.

The drone destroyed by the Ukrainian military is the Russian replica Geran-2 of Shahed-136, an Iranian suicide drone designed for long-range attacks. The maximum combat distance of the Geran-2 drone is 2500 kilometers and it can carry explosive warheads weighing up to 50 kilograms. According to a non confidential report from the US Army, the Shahd-136 can also be used for aerial reconnaissance missions, but so far no Geran-2 unmanned aerial vehicle with integrated cameras has been found.

An anonymous source provided Defense Express with photos taken from a destroyed drone. These photos clearly show a satellite antenna with a complete serial number, which could theoretically be used to investigate the source and seller of the "Starlink" hardware. The Ukrainian side speculates that the Russian Federation is now routinely installing Starlink terminals on its bombing drones after testing 4G modems using Ukrainian SIM cards previously.

The Starlink satellite Internet service provides a typical upload speed of up to 20 Mbps, which is sufficient to transmit video and other data streams back to the Russian military in real time. Earlier this year, Elon Musk stated that "to our knowledge," Starlink has no direct or indirect business relationship with Russian entities.

Of course, Vladimir Putin's government may have its own methods and means to illegally obtain the brand new Starlink terminal. Musk said that 'Starlink' will not be used in Russia, but it is another matter in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Kiev has been using satellite Internet services. Musk has also actively supported this action and said he lost money for it.