The SSU has exposed eight Russian agents who were registering Starlink accounts for the Russian military
The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed a further eight Russian agents who, on the orders of the Russian secret services, were registering Starlink satellite terminals for the Russian military.
According to the investigation, those involved are residents of various regions of Ukraine aged between 18 and 44. Russian intelligence services recruited them via Telegram channels offering quick money.
In the Rivne region, two conscripts were detained after they left their military unit without authorisation and subsequently began cooperating with the Russian side.
After being recruited, they registered the Starlink terminals in their own names and passed on the relevant details to their handlers in the Russian Federation.
They were subsequently instructed to recruit as many people as possible to carry out the illegal verification of the terminals. To do this, they used the passport details of at least 14 of their acquaintances.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, law enforcement officers detained two suspects who had previously been convicted of theft and robbery.
According to the SSU, they initially registered the Starlink accounts in their own names, passed the details to a coordinator in Russia, and then recruited a further 14 people to take part in the illegal registration of satellite terminals.
In Volyn, an 18-year-old resident of the regional capital was caught.
According to the investigation, he registered Starlink in his own name and passed on access to the Russian side. He then recruited a further seven acquaintances into the illegal scheme, who activated the satellite systems for the Russian Federation.
On the basis of the evidence gathered, SSU investigators informed the detainees that they were suspected of offences under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
These include high treason, aiding an aggressor state and desertion.
The suspects face sentences ranging from 10 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The comprehensive operation was carried out under the procedural supervision of the Dnipropetrovsk and Volyn regional prosecutor’s offices, as well as the Rivne Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Defence in the Western Region.
