Starlink satellite services in Ukraine

Starlink satellite services in Ukraine refers to the SpaceX's Starlink internet access service being provided for Internet in Ukraine. This service was most notably used during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Russian attacks brought widespread degradation to the Ukrainian telecommunications network.

Starlink replaced Internet services destroyed during the war and Ukraine's military and government rapidly became dependent on Starlink.^[1][2][3][4] According to The Pentagon, "Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type".^[5]

On February 26, 2022 during the battle for Kyiv, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov asked Elon Musk on Twitter to provide assistance to Ukraine in the form of Starlinks, to replace Internet services destroyed during the war.^[1][6][2][7] Starlink responded by activating country-wide service, and the first shipment of terminals arrived on February 28.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

SpaceX had been negotiating with Ukraine for the launch of Starlink a month and a half before the invasion, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said. According to her, SpaceX was waiting for an official letter with permission.^[7]

While military and government use of the Starlink has been the most important aspect of opening Ukraine to low-altitude satellite internet services in early 2022, civilians are also heavily using the technology "to keep in touch with the outside world and tell loved ones that they are alive."^[13] During the war, Ukrainians can use Starlink terminals without paying the usual monthly subscription fee.^[14]

By May 2022, 150,000 people were using the system every day.^[4] The Ukrainian government relied on it for various communication needs, including the transmission of the broadcast by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.^[4] The same month, Starlink internet also started being used on the trains of Ukrainian Railways, during the restoration of communication in the Kyiv Oblast providing mobile communication services.^[15] Meanwhile during the Siege of Mariupol, Starlink was used to report on the worsening conditions inside the city.^[16][17]

In November 2022, Starlink allowed phone and internet services to resume within a few days while Kherson was liberated.^[4] Later in a February 2023 statement, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov explains "Starlink help save thousands of lives daily. The energy infrastructure continues to work and doctors perform complex surgeries thanks to the connection that Starlinks provide."^[18]

File:Rocket strike on Kyiv TV Tower, 1 March 2022.webmSatellite internet from SpaceX had key telecommunications role in the Siege of Azovstal (April 15–May 20), which helps Ukrainian defenders to resist Russian troops in Mariupol.^[17] On March 21, 2022, two helicopters of "Operation Air Corridor" (March 21–April 7) carried Ukrainian Special Forces fighters, weaponry and the first Starlink terminal behind enemies lines to besieged Mariupol.^[17][16]

The Times reported in March 2022, that the Ukrainian military was using Starlink to connect its drones attacking Russian forces.^[19] Ukrainian soldiers upload images of potential targets via a mobile network enabled by Starlink. These are sent to an encrypted group chat full of artillery-battery commanders. Those commanders then decide whether to shell the target and, if so, from where.^[4]

In May 2022, a Starlink-enabled Ukrainian Internet App was the key component of a successful new artillery fire coordination system.^[20] In September 2022, a Ukrainian naval drone with a Starlink terminal attached to its stern washed up in Sevastopol.^[4] And in late October 2022, seven similar drones were used to mount a successful attack on the port of the same city.^[4]

On September 30, 2022, Ukrainian forces reported major Starlink outages across the frontline, resulting in "catastrophic" losses of communication.^[21] With several Ukrainian officials criticizing Starlink, speaking of "widespread connection failures".^[21] In October 2022, CNN reported Starlink services had to be requested by Ukrainian forces as new areas were liberated.^[22]

In 2023, Fedorov reported "no problems with the operation of Starlink uplink terminals in Ukraine." A ministry official familiar with the situation said cities near the war's front lines found no indications of trouble with Starlink coverage.^[18]

According to member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies Franz-Stefan Gady, who visited the Ukrainian front lines prior to June 2023, Starlink "makes possible cheap and ubiquitous connectivity" and Ukrainian military operations are hugely dependent on having access to the internet.^[4] Quoted by The Economist, a Ukrainian soldier said "Starlink is our oxygen", and were it to disappear "our army would collapse into chaos".^[4]

Starlink terminals are ideal for use in a country where the electricity and communication networks are regularly under the threat of missiles, argues The Economist, because the dishes and their associated terminals are easily portable and can be rigged to run off a car battery.^[4]

By 6 April 2022, SpaceX had sent over 5000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine to allow Ukrainians access to the Starlink network;^[23] SpaceX had donated 3667 or 73% of the 5000 terminals and removed the monthly service fees, while USAID had purchased the balance of the terminals.^[24][25]

According to The Washington Post, The Starlink equipment sent to Ukraine was funded by SpaceX including partial funding by the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as the governments of France and Poland.^[26][27] By mid August 2022, Ukraine internet service was being provided by more than 20,000 Starlink terminals, some from foreign partners and volunteers, in addition to many provided directly by SpaceX.

On October 14, 2022, Musk warned the service was costing Starlink $20 million per month and stated it could not go on indefinitely.^[28][29][30] A month earlier, SpaceX had asked the Pentagon to take over financing for this reason.^[31] Earlier in October 2022, Musk had expressed controversial takes on the war, to which Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy responded by inviting Musk to Ukraine to see "what Russia has done here."^[32] (Zelenskiy nonetheless praised Starlink, saying "life was maintained" thanks to the service.)^[32]

Musk however re-committed on October 15 that SpaceX would continue to pay for Starlink services.^[30] By December 2022, Ukraine had secured additional funding from several European countries, and a Ukrainian official stated that "all financial issues have been resolved."^[33]

In February 2023, Mykhailo Fedorov called Musk "one of the biggest private donors of [Ukraine's] future victory," estimating SpaceX's contributions as over $100 million.^[18]

In June 2023, The Pentagon communicated that the Department of Defense signed a contract with SpaceX's Starlink to buy those satellite services for Ukraine. The Pentagon stated "We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the resilient satellite and communication capabilities they need. Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type".^[5]

On February 8, 2023 Gwynne Shotwell, President of Starlink, announced that the company had taken measures to prevent the use of Starlink service to control combat drones.^[34] SpaceX restricted the licensing of Starlink communication technology, excluding direct military use of Starlink on weapon systems. The limitation restricted use by Ukraine of Starlink antennas on uncrewed surface vehicles deployed in the fall, potentially shifting the balance of power in the naval war in the Black Sea.^[35]

Shotwell stated that "Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement", as the contract was intended for humanitarian purposes such as "providing broadband internet to hospitals, banks and families affected by Russia's invasion".^[34][36] She added "while we were pleased to provide connectivity", SpaceX did not intend Starlink to be "weaponized".^[36] The company apparently knew the military is using them for communications, "and thats's okay."^[36] "But our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes."^[36]

Shotwell's statement drew criticism from supporters and politicians of Ukraine such as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Mykhailo Podolyak.^[18] A Ukrainian military official called her statement "strange" given that the country's use of Starlink as a combat tool is well-established.^[18] A presidential adviser commented that companies had to decide if they were "on the side of the right to freedom" or "on the Russian Federation's side and its 'right' to kill and seize territories".^[37]

In June 2023, Ukrainian officials told The Economist that Musk had rejected a Ukrainian request to allow Starlink to be used in Crimea.^[4] SpaceX has continued to restrict the use of Starlink in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials.^[4]

Russia has tried to cut off and jam internet services in Ukraine, including attempts to block Starlink in the region.^[5] On 15 October 2022, amidst Ukrainian counteroffensives in the Battle of Donbas, Russian forces reportedly disrupted a Ukrainian Starlink system in the Soledar-Bakhmut area after they destroyed a shortwave repeater.^[38]

SpaceX has countered attacks against Starlink use in Ukraine by hardening the service's software.^[5] Though cyberattacks against Starlink appear to have been ineffective, in part because SpaceX quickly updates the system’s software, according to The Economist. The director of electronic warfare for the US Office of the Secretary of Defense has said the speed of the software response he witnessed to one attack was "eye-watering".^[4]

In early May 2022, the Russian head of Roscosmos and politician Dmitry Rogozin said Elon Musk will be accountable "as an adult" because of his providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Starlink satellites.^[39] Later on February 3, 2023, Kremlin-backed spokesman Vladimir Solovyov issued threats over the use of Starlink by Ukraine to attack Russian targets, the Kremlin spokesman calling Musk a "war criminal".^[40] The same month, SpaceX restricted military use of Starlink in Ukraine.^[35]

In June 2022, Ukraine received a new batch of antennae for Ukrainian intelligence units.^[41]

In July 2022, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said European countries have sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine from their own supplies.^[42]

In February 2023, Fedorov announced the arrival of 10,000 Starlink terminals provided by the German government.^[18]

• Russian–Ukrainian cyberwarfare
• IT Army of Ukraine
• Corporate responses to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• List of military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War

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