The SBU Foiled The FSB's Plan

• 14.10.2026, 22:56

Russia wanted access to 148 Starlink satellites.

The Counterintelligence Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine detained an 18-year-old FSB agent in Kyiv who was attempting to activate 148 Starlink terminals for the Russian military. According to the SBU, the equipment was intended to be used to prepare for combat operations in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

The suspect turned out to be a former student at a college in the capital who was training to become an electric welder. The Russian intelligence service recruited him via Telegram when he was looking for a way to make quick money.

Over the course of several days, the young man registered 15 Starlink terminals using the passport information of relatives and acquaintances. He subsequently prepared fake personal information to register another 133 devices.

SBU officers detained the suspect near a post office, where he planned to activate a new batch of terminals. The previously registered devices, the details of which he had passed on to his Russian handler, were blocked.

During searches of the detainee’s premises, several smartphones containing evidence of collaboration with the FSB were seized.

Starlink provides satellite internet, which can be used for communication and coordination among military units. Registering terminals under front names allows the actual users to remain hidden.