Latvia convicted one member of a Starlink supply network to Russia — three others in the same network await trial

Latvia's Riga City Court has sentenced an Azerbaijani national to 11 years in prison for procuring and illegally supplying Starlink satellite terminals and other military-grade equipment to Russian forces for use in the war against Ukraine, Delfi reported on 17 March, citing Latvia's prosecution service. The case was investigated by Latvia's State Security Service (VDD) and referred to prosecutors in June 2025.

Conviction and charges

The court found the defendant guilty of acting within an organized group to assist a foreign state in undermining the territorial integrity and political independence of another democratic state — a charge that goes beyond standard sanctions violation framing — and of violating EU sanctions by a group of persons acting in concert, causing significant damage. The sentence includes 11 years' imprisonment, three years of probation supervision, and expulsion from Latvia with a five-year re-entry ban.

Three other defendants in the same case — two Latvian citizens and one Latvian non-citizen — will face trial in separate proceedings, meaning the full scope of the network operating from inside an EU member state remains unresolved in court.

What the group procured

Delfi reports that the organized group ordered dozens of Starlink mini-kits online — portable satellite internet systems produced by SpaceX that allow connectivity from almost any location — alongside other military-grade goods including weapon parts, cartridge cases, bullets, and ballistic meteorological sensors. Total procurement value reached approximately €200,000. The group then illegally imported the equipment into Russia and sold it to persons connected to the Russian armed forces.

Russia's use of Starlink 

Russian forces had been systematically acquiring Starlink terminals through third countries and smuggling networks for years. By early 2026, Russia was mounting Starlink terminals on strike drones to make them largely immune to Ukrainian electronic warfare, enabling strikes deep into Ukrainian territory. In late January 2026, SpaceX implemented technical restrictions cutting off unauthorized Russian terminals after coordination with Ukraine's Defense Ministry. When the whitelist took effect on 4 February, Russian military bloggers immediately reported a "catastrophe" for frontline command and control.

According to Cloudflare data, Militarnyi noted that Russian Starlink traffic in occupied Ukraine dropped roughly 75% after 4 February and stabilized at 25–30% of previous levels without recovering — suggesting Russia has not found an effective workaround to the SpaceX restrictions.