Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 13 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Kremlin said on the 12th that American entrepreneur Elon Musk's "Starlink" satellite Internet system has neither been certified for use in Russia, nor has it officially provided services to Russia, so the Russian military "cannot use it."
This is the Kremlin photographed in Moscow, the capital of Russia, on January 6, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Alexander).
According to Ukrainian intelligence, some Russian troops have begun to use the Internet access service provided by the "Starlink" satellite. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said in a statement on the 11th that the 83rd Air Assault Brigade and other units of the Russian army are using the "Starlink" terminal in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on the 12th that the "Starlink" system has not been certified by the Russian side, and "cannot and no" officially provide services to the Russian side, so it "cannot be officially used in any way".
Perhaps, we should not get involved in the discussion between Ukrainian** and entrepreneur Elon Musk. ”
Musk also denied the Ukrainian claim. He responded on social media ** on the 11th: "As far as we know, there is no direct or indirect provision of 'Starlink' services to Russia", "Some fake news claims that SpaceX is providing 'Starlink' services to Russia, which is absolutely untrue."
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk and others, is building a "Starlink" network of nearly 20,000 satellites to provide high-speed Internet access to Earth from low-Earth orbit. According to a report by the Washington Post in November last year, about 5,000 "Starlink" satellites are currently in operation.
Some overseas ** said that "Starlink" played an important role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the Ukrainian army used "Starlink" to control drones and unmanned boats to attack the Russian army. (Liu Jiang).