Ukraine Arrests Lviv Student for Registering Starlink Terminals for Russian Troops

Ukraine has arrested a student and his acquaintance in Lviv for registering at least 14 Starlink terminals for Russian intelligence.Starlink terminals, made by US firm SpaceX, were once widely used by Ukrainian and Russian troops for frontline communications before Kyiv collaborated with SpaceX to build a registration system in early 2026 to disable Russian usage.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Tuesday that the student, after being recruited by Russian intelligence on social media, recruited his unemployed friend to help register the terminals.The SBU said the student was motivated by financial means, similar to most previously reported Russian espionage attempts.“It was established that the enemy’s task was carried out by a Lviv student recruited by Russian special services. He came to their attention when he was looking for ‘easy’ earnings in Telegram channels,” the SBU wrote in its press release.The two then reportedly “recruited 14 people and used their passport data to verify terminals” for Russian intelligence.The SBU said the two might have registered another 40 Starlink terminals for Russian intelligence, adding that the case remains under investigation.The two were arrested at their “places of residence,” with their mobile phones reportedly used to communicate with their Russian handlers confiscated for investigation, the agency added. Other Topics of Interest Black Sea Blockade Threatens Global Food Shock Russia’s war has disrupted one of the world’s main grain routes, driving up wheat prices and forcing importers to seek costlier supplies. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of property.Russia’s Starlink dilemmaAfter Kyiv’s new registration system, Russia has reportedly faced battlefield setbacks due to a communication collapse.Russia has since tried to remedy the issue by introducing alternatives, including its domestically deployed Rassvet satellites.The Rassvet has had some success – namely, a twice-daily communication window over Ukraine by August – but is marred by deployment hurdles, with the limited number of satellites in orbit made worse by failed launches that sent their already limited numbers plummeting back to Earth.As a result, Russia has repeatedly sought local agents in Ukraine to register Starlink terminals on its behalf. In May, the SBU said it arrested a military deserter who reportedly registered Starlink terminals for Russia.In July, the SBU said it arrested two other men in Kyiv who registered 76 terminals for Russia, then announced a day later that it had arrested another man in central Ukraine’s Dnipro for activating over 1,000 Starlink terminals for Russia. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.