Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers use Starlink, investigation finds

Russian “shadow fleet” ships use Starlink for communication and coordination.

This is stated in the investigation of the Kyiv Independent. 

During the investigation, journalists spoke with two Ukrainian sailors who claim that they unwittingly became part of the Kremlin’s global oil smuggling operation.

They, as well as two other sources who worked on the ships of the Russian “shadow fleet”, confirmed that communication between tankers and their owners is often maintained using Western technology, including satellite phones and Starlink terminals.

“You can buy it through a proxy company. As far as I know, it is difficult to buy Starlink in Ukraine now. In other parts of the world, you can simply order it and have it delivered by mail. It is not a weapon, anyone can buy it,” said one of the crew members.

In response to the investigation’s findings, the president’s representative for sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasyuk, said SpaceX (the company that controls Starlink) must take steps to stop the scheme.

“Any activity by Russia’s shadow fleet is effectively financing a war against Ukraine. If Starlink is used to evade sanctions or circumvent maritime safety rules, this is unacceptable,” he told the Kyiv Independent.

Vlasyuk noted that Russia is deliberately using fake GPS to hide its ships, disrupting navigation systems and endangering other ships.

“We expect SpaceX to carefully consider this issue and take measures to prevent the use of Starlink by shadow fleets of any country, including Russia, Venezuela or Iran,” he added.

It has previously been reported that Russian forces have long used unauthorized access to control drones and other military equipment in occupied territories of Ukraine during a full-scale war.

USM previously reported that the captain of a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker was sentenced to a year in prison.

The sanctioned ship Boracay, which was transporting Russian oil to India, raised a false flag of Benin before the military boarded it. The ship was carrying two employees of a Russian private security company, whose task was to monitor the crew and gather intelligence.