Russia is using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite devices in Ukraine, sources say::undefined

  • rdri@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    The idea that they aren’t able to come up with a credit card with a Ukrainian name that looks 100% legitimate to a billing company is farcical.

    I see you don’t know how credit card numbers work. You may also not be aware of the fact that credit cards aren’t working in Russia for almost 2 years.

    Let me just ask you point blank, do you think the CIA could manage to purchase a Starlink, activate it, and use it, without anyone having any idea it was the CIA that did all that?

    Just one or two is easy to manage. A dozen is much more difficult already, provided Starlink manages some security and has access to metadata (data that ultimately can’t be faked such as location, accounts, device id).

    • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 months ago

      … meaning that one of their many worldwide operatives could just get a credit card. Like, say, in Ukraine.

      You’re focused way too hard on “following the law and doing things by the book” without realizing Russia is more of a “do what it takes.”

      • rdri@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Yeah okay. Let’s say we covered the billing. What about devices id, their origin and location? Those are not purchased through Ukraine and Starlink is ought to know that.

          • rdri@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            They can’t be. Ukraine must have them under full control because they rely on them too much.

            Also it’s much easier to assume that these modules, like any other modern tech these days are bought by Russia through other countries who it still does business with like China, Turkey etc.

              • rdri@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Welp, Musk clearly isn’t even interested in exploring the possibility and just calls it fake news. I guess you won the argument by essentially saying “Nobody knows and no one needs to try”.

                • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  11 months ago

                  Not at all my point. My point was that it can be unknowable. And we have no idea if anyone has tried.

                  • rdri@lemmy.world
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                    11 months ago

                    You literally said it in your first comment here:

                    At that point, you cant tell the difference.

                    I also don’t exactly buy the possibility of Russian intelligence agencies being able to do stuff like this adequately. As anything else in Russia, they degraded seriously under Putin’s regime. They might not even be involved - I wouldn’t be surprised if those Starlink modules were just a nice opportunity found by whatever volunteers buying stuff like drones from Aliexpress and sending it to Russian army. Reports say they were purchased from UAE.