"The Russian military is purchasing Starlink terminals from SpaceX, with supplies coming from the USA, Europe,

[applegrove]

https://sfba.social/@skykiss/112261008902139853

“The Russian military is purchasing Starlink terminals from SpaceX, with supplies coming from the USA, Europe, UAE, Canada, Germany and Kazakhstan.

This was found out by specialists from the OSINT agency Molfar, who studied the assortment and spoke directly with terminal sellers”

[orangecrush]

1. KICK

[Deuxcents]

2. This way the Russians can block Ukraine from communicating on the battlefront...

Anywhere else, too, I imagine

[KPN]

3. Elon Musk is dangerous. nt

[applegrove]

5. Here is the title at the link. They are black market starlink.

"SNIP........

Black market Starlink terminals in use by Russian forces in Ukraine, other US foes, Musk claims no knowledge

..........SNIP"

STILL - a billionaire with such a potential to 'turn' a war is something that should be thought through.

[ancianita]

17. The DOJ's Criminal Division had better have a sitdown with Musk about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Individuals may be criminally and civilly liable under both the anti-bribery and accounting provisions of the FCPA for direct violations, for conspiring to violate the FCPA, and for aiding and abetting a violation by another, particularly a country like Russia, under Treasury and other sanctions.

I hope that at the very least, Musk is being monitored.

[lame54]

25. I think when Musk claimed no knowledge...

That was just a general statement

[applegrove]

27. Typically when stuff gets on the black market the

manufacturer has no idea.

[msongs]

4. ford sold trucks to hitler both of them hated jews nt

[applegrove]

6. They are blackmarket starlink.

[Johnny2X2X]

16. Black Market hardware

But they still have to have a subscription activated and they'd know where they were being activated from and that they were fraudluent. If the Russian military is using black market hardware and then hacking into Starlink, Starlink would know about it.

[ancianita]

18. You're right. Musk knows about it and is playing ignorant.

[TeamProg]

12. C Y B E R Trucks are on the way!

Cuz Your Brain Eez Rect

[littlemissmartypants]

7. Article...

Elon Musk and Starlink have the ability to block and disable these black marketed terminals. However, there is no way to tell if the black market sellers have found a way to bypass these measures

https://www.firstpost.com/tech/black-market-starlink-terminals-in-use-by-russian-forces-in-ukraine-other-us-foes-musk-claims-no-knowledge-13758192.html

[aggiesal]

8. When I worked for a DOD contractor ...

we weren't allowed to sell anything with military capability to any foreign country without permission from the DOD and some other agency, I think it was the FTC.

How is SpaceX able to get away with this?

[applegrove]

10. There stuff ends up in the black market. I would think they should investigate

some buyers. Because this stinks.

[FrankChurchDem]

20. OFAC

Treasury. They take matters like this very seriously. I would suspect that they're conducting an investigation but I know their wheels turn very, very slowly.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

9. If so, how are Musk evading the sanctions against Russia?

The article referenced is rather vague about it. Anyone involved should be charged & convicted if the USA is serious about sanctions. So probably not. Coca-Cola is making record profits in Russia, for example. We care more about corporate profit that accrues to the mega-wealthy than we care about Russian imperialist expansionism and genocide. I've long thought that Musk should have his assets seized, his citizenship stripped and be deported back to South Africa. Fascist pig. DOJ should find a way.

[applegrove]

11. Musk claims no involvement.

[Fla Dem]

15. What does no involvement mean? He's the CEO of the company right?

He can stop whatever transactions are happening with Russia. By taking no action he is responsible.

[applegrove]

24. He does not see any transaction on the black market.

Last edited Tue Apr 16, 2024, 03:04 PM - Edit history (1)

[Shipwack]

31. But he -does- know that recievers are operating in Russia.

Remember when he shut down the recievers Ukraine was using to guide vehicles to Russian warships?

If Musk really doesn't know about these black market recievers in Russia (which I highly doubt), it's because he's actively going out of his way to not know.

[unblock]

29. Coca-cola is not sanctioned afaik

North Korea is subject to blanket sanctions. Iran as well.

But not Russia. Several different rounds of sanctions actively apply to Russia but it's not 100% everything.

[brush]

13. Something's not right about that. We didn't sell battle aids to the nazis in WWll.

WTF is Musk allowed to get away with that now?

I suspect because he's a fucking nazi himself.

[DFW]

14. "Wholly owned, independent arm's length entities."

It's a common enough structure. For example, since the EU tries to tax any non-EU company on its worldwide income, many non-EU companies wishing to do business there purchase existing EU companies and keep them as completely independent, separate entities. Since it would be grossly unfair for the EU to tax, say, Arby's on its entire US income just because they opened two retail outlets in Frankfurt, Arby's (or whoever) would form "Arby's Deutschland" (or whatever), incorporate there, and let their German operation operate and be taxed where their business is. Whatever is left over after taxes, the owning company, Arby's USA (or whatever it's called) can either repatriate the profits or re-invest them for growth of the local business as they see fit. The owner company in the USA can not interfere with the independence of the foreign entity, or else the independence of the foreign entity could be challenged. Therefore, if Musk owns a company in a foreign country that has no sanctions with Russia, that company can do business with Russia with far less scrutiny. Musk could still get in trouble with the US authorities, but they'd have to do a thorough investigation to prove the connection before they can take action.

I have an ex-pat Iranian friend who has been living in Germany for almost all his life. His family still has a house on the Island of Kish, the Iranian Hong Kong, where Dick Cheney (now in the name of Halliburton) still owns a house. He said that Iran still does business with every country in the world except Israel, sanctions or no sanctions. They just go through third parties/countries.

[applegrove]

22. I think it is just buyers who resell stuff on the black market. No

need for Musk involvement.

[applegrove]

23. He is not. It is the black market. Musk has no control over that.

[WarGamer]

19. misleading title from the link

Russia NOT buying from SpaceX.

Russia buying black market units from folks who are breaking the TOS from Starlink.

[FrankChurchDem]

21. SpaceX is required

By OFAC to be proactive for which it appears they are not. I'm sure OFAC has taken notice but their enforcement division is in total overwhelm from all the sanctions in the past few years.

[BannonsLiver]

26. Excellent point. Unfortunately he still has a small number of devotees here who want to explain away everything.

[marble falls]

28. Hardly a day passes we don't learn something else shady about Elon Musk. I wish he'd been in the driver's ...

... seat of the Tesla he put into space.

[Shipwack]

30. So... Let me get this straight.

Musk can tell where Ukrainian Starlink receivers are with enough precision that he can turn them off when they are approaching the Ukrainian-Russian border.

At the same time, he can't detect Starlink receivers in Russia, nor do anything to prevent them from being used.

Got it.