SBU arrests two suspected FSB agents over 76 Starlink terminals
In Kyiv, men activated Starlink systems for the Russian army (Photo: Security Service of Ukraine)
The Security Service of Ukraine’s counterintelligence unit exposed two suspected Russian agents in Kyiv who allegedly registered Starlink satellite terminals for Russian armed formations on orders from the Federal Security Service, or FSB, the agency said on July 24.
Two unemployed Kyiv residents were involved in the scheme, investigators said. Russian intelligence services allegedly recruited them through Telegram channels advertising “easy money.”
After their recruitment, the men registered internet terminals in their own names and provided the necessary account information to an FSB handler, the SBU said.
The suspects later used forged Ukrainian passports to illegally activate additional satellite terminals, investigators said.
The agents also unknowingly involved an employee of a postal branch who helped them bypass established terminal verification rules, the SBU said.
The suspects allegedly registered 76 Starlink terminals for Russian intelligence services through the scheme.
Russian intelligence planned to use the satellite systems to guide missiles and drones targeting Ukraine and identify electronic warfare systems protecting Ukrainian military positions, investigators said.
SBU officers detained the suspects at their homes. Mobile phones containing evidence of alleged cooperation with the FSB were seized during searches, the agency said.
Law enforcement officers also blocked all Starlink terminals illegally registered by the suspects.
SBU investigators charged the two men with high treason committed under martial law. They face life imprisonment if convicted.
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov listed the disabling of Starlink access for Russian forces as his top achievement in a July 15 summary of his work in office, saying the measure had reduced Russia’s ability to wage effective drone warfare.
Fedorov said in January 2026 that the Defense Ministry and U.S. aerospace company SpaceX were working together to address Russia’s use of Starlink terminals on drones.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk later said he was “glad to help” Fedorov tackle the problem of Russian drones controlled through Starlink terminals.
Fedorov announced the launch of Starlink terminal verification in Ukraine in February. Russian forces subsequently lost access to the system, forcing them to halt assaults in several sectors of the front, he said.
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