Ukrainian President Vlodoymyr Zelensky recently reached out to SpaceX founder Elon Musk via Twitter, thanking him for his support in the conflict with Russia.
"I'm grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects," Zelensky tweeted. "But I'll talk about this after the war."
Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects ?. But I’ll talk about this after the war.
— ????????? ?????????? (@ZelenskyyUa) March 5, 2022
After Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov requested assistance last weekend from the SpaceX satellite internet service Starlink, Musk didn't waste time in routing towards Ukraine, effectively providing a connectivity service that Russia would be hard-pressed to take down amid the ongoing crisis.
As Russia continues to wage a war to take control of Ukraine, a key part of its strategy has been to forcefully isolate the country from international resources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened countries that come to Ukraine's assistance, vowing to inflict "consequences you have never seen" on any interfering parties. For now, those threats have kept NATO's forces at bay, and make countries cautious about how they approach their opposition to Putin's offensive. Musk's assistance, however, presents a significant contribution to Ukraine's defense without giving Putin an easy way to touch the tech mogul.
Starlink, a system of over 2,000 satellites, operates within Earth’s lower orbit and is able to provide low-latency broadband internet services.
It's a far-reaching network that's designed to function in even the most remote of locations and is self-described as "ideally suited for areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable." For Zelensky's struggling forces, attempting to fend off a world superpower, Starlink is a godsend.
SpaceX isn't a country. Musk isn't an elected official or an extension of NATO. And as such, he's a factor that would have been hard to see coming. For Ukrainian defense, his services are keeping the lights on for their military communications.
But just because his satellite system isn't in range of Russia's missile systems doesn't mean there isn't risk involved. Musk warned that the network might soon become the target of Russian efforts to choke Ukraine from services online.
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