Lithuanian Companies Supplied Starlink and Drone Parts to Russia via Latvian Border

According to an investigation by The Insider, the Lithuanian company UAB Eseka (CEO Eimantas Skardžius), based in the village of Kunigiškių in the Anykščių district, exported Starlink terminals and cables to Russia via the Latvian border in 2024. The terminals were declared as ceramic tiles.

This is detailed in an investigation by The Insider, which they conducted in collaboration with the Lithuanian journalist center Siena.

Data obtained during the investigation also shows that Eseka transported engines manufactured by the Japanese company O.S. Engines MFG to Russia in 2024, listing them in the goods description as engines for radio-controlled aircraft models. However, data from the battlefield in Ukraine indicates that O.S. Engines MFG products are being used in Russian drones.

“Traitors to the state. They are unquestionably contributing to the Russians’ ability to kill civilians. And what guarantee is there that, using the same equipment and the same sanctions circumvention, the Russians won’t launch active operations against other countries—for example, the Baltic states?” said Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaulas.

Another Lithuanian freight transport company, Jumbo Transport, which is currently going bankrupt, is also involved in this scheme. Records of conversations involving the company’s former CEO, obtained by Siena, show that the company deliberately submitted unrealistic shipping documents to customs and falsely declared shipments to Central Asian countries, even though the sanctioned goods actually ended up on the Russian market.

At the same time, Jumbo Transport has also served Lithuanian defense structures in the past: units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Defence Resources Agency (KRA) under the Ministry of National Defense.

Russia uses Starlink terminals, purchasing them from black markets in third countries and through front companies, and installing them on various types of UAVs, including Geran-2, RD-8, Molniya, and BM-35. As a result, SpaceX created whitelists through which Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel entered the identification numbers of their terminals into the Delta system, thereby preventing the Russians from using Starlink.