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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Security Service of Ukraine detained four individuals in Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhia, and Mykolaiv regions, suspected of illegally registering Starlink satellite terminals for Russian military forces.
The Security Service of Ukraine announced the exposure of four individuals who, according to the investigation, helped Russian troops gain access to Starlink satellite internet. The suspects operated in various parts of Ukraine and engaged in illegal verification of terminals for use by Russian armed formations. As part of a comprehensive operation, law enforcement detained all four suspects and blocked equipment they had managed to register for the occupiers.
According to the SBU, the suspects were remotely recruited by representatives of the Russian side through Telegram channels, where they sought opportunities for quick profits. After establishing contact with their tutors, the suspects received tasks to arrange satellite stations and provide required credentials for activation. For registration, they used both their own personal data and documents of acquaintances, without informing them of the true purpose of these actions.
In Khmelnytskyi region, a deserter who transmitted coordinates of military facilities to the Russians was detained.
One of the suspects was uncovered by the SBU counterintelligence in Khmelnytskyi region. According to the case materials, he turned out to be a mobilized serviceman who deserted from his unit and hid in Kamianets-Podilskyi. While there, the man, according to the investigation, established cooperation with a representative of Russian special services and agreed to register satellite Starlink terminals for him.
Law enforcement established that the suspect activated 10 devices, after which he transmitted the necessary details to the Russian curator. Initially, he registered the equipment in his own name, and later began engaging acquaintances in the registration, concealing the true clients from them. Thus, according to the investigation, the suspect provided Russian military forces with the ability to use satellite internet.
In addition, the SBU documented that the man gathered coordinates of Ukrainian Defense Forces objects for the Russian curator. According to law enforcement, the enemy planned to use the obtained data to prepare air strikes. Thus, the suspect is accused not only of aiding in activating communications equipment but also of transmitting information that could be used to attack Ukrainian military facilities.
In Zaporizhzhia, the suspect was detained while attempting to activate another Starlink.
Another suspected agent of the Russian special services was detained by SBU officers in Zaporizhzhia. According to the investigation, a local unemployed man agreed for money to activate satellite terminals for occupier forces stationed in temporarily captured territories of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. To fulfill the tasks, he used not only his own data but also involved acquaintances whom he promised monetary reward.
As law enforcement notes, the man did not inform other registration participants that the true clients were representatives of the aggressor state. In this way, he sought to obtain the necessary data to activate the equipment and pass access to the Russian side. SBU officers detained the suspect near a post office as he tried to register another Starlink terminal for the occupiers.
In Mykolaiv region, two men activated more than 10 terminals for the Russian Federation.
In Mykolaiv region, law enforcement uncovered two more residents of the regional capital suspected of carrying out similar tasks for the Russian side. According to the SBU, one of the suspects had previously been charged with robbery. The suspects used postal operator services and personal data of third parties to register satellite equipment.
Investigations established that in this manner the men managed to activate for the Russian military more than 10 Starlink terminals. Registering devices under others’ names allowed concealing the actual clients and ensuring access to satellite internet for units of the Russian army. During the operational measures, law enforcement documented the suspects’ activities and halted further registration of equipment.
All those detained face life imprisonment.
The Security Service said that all satellite terminals registered by the suspects for Russian armed formations have already been blocked. Thus, law enforcement stopped the use of the relevant equipment by the occupiers and prevented further activation attempts by the exposed individuals.
SBU investigators informed all four detainees of suspicion under part 2 of article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — treason committed in martial law. The suspects are currently in custody. If proven guilty, they face 15 years of imprisonment or life imprisonment with asset seizure.
Comprehensive measures were conducted by SBU officers in Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi, and Mykolaiv regions. Procedural supervision was carried out by the Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regional prosecutors’ offices, as well as the Khmelnytskyi specialized prosecution in the Western region’s defense sector.
In accordance with the presumption of innocence, those detained are considered innocent until their guilt is proven in court and confirmed by a final judgment.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "СБУ викрила чотирьох агентів РФ, які активували Starlink для російських військових: їм загрожує довічне ув'язнення". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: СтопКор.
