Elon Musk activates Starlink internet service in Ukraine after minister's plea

Elon Musk said on Saturday that his company SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband service had been activated in Ukraine. The move came after the country's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov urged him to provide satellite-based communications to help resist Russia's invasion.

"Starlink service is now active in Ukraine," Musk tweeted, adding "more terminals en route."

Starlink internet accounts for 1,45,000 users in 25 countries. According to Musk, the laser satellite links ensure smooth operation and reliable internet coverage.

Elon Musk's tweet came around 10 hours after Fedorov appealed to him to provide Starlink services in Ukraine.

"While you try to colonize Mars -- Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space -- Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations," Fedorov tweeted at Musk.

 

Internet monitor NetBlocks said Ukraine has seen a "series of significant disruptions to internet service" since Thursday when Russia launched military operations in the country.

Ukraine's official Twitter handle, and Fedorov later thanked Elon Musk and the country's ambassador to USA Oksana Markarova that allowed them to activate Starlink in Ukraine.

Starlink is one of the many companies launching small satellites to provide broadband internet services in areas where the terrestrial network is hard to set up. It enables the satellites to operate without sending data back to a ground station. Instead, the data is beamed between the satellites using laser links, enabling faster transfer speeds.