Elon Musk Activates Starlink in Response to Ukraine’s Internet Disruption

Elon Musk responded to Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s plea for assistance on Twitter. SpaceX’s CEO activated his company’s Starlink satellite internet service for citizens and businesses in Ukraine. “More terminals are being sent as invading troops disrupt” the country’s access, he assured Fedorov on Saturday.

Courtesy of Dubetskyi-Ph (Wikimedia CC0)

The plea Fedorov made referred to the SpaceX CEO’s plan to colonize Mars while Russia is trying to occupy his country. The Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine suggested that Musk “provide Starlink stations and to address sane Russian to stand.”

His request comes as internet outages have been reported amid the ongoing battles with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops. After trucks arrived in Ukraine with Starlink stations, Fedorov thanked Musk on Twitter.

Although Putin invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched this attempted occupation in February and March 2014 when it invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.

The Kremlin awarded sovereignty to breakaway regions in northeastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, on February 21, 2022, giving Russian troops easier access to the country.

TRANSLATION – "Ukraine people have access to the fastest satellite internet system ever created. Russia can not disable the Ukrainian internet access fully without cyber attacking foreign data centers."

— Jeremy Padawer (@JeremyCom) February 26, 2022

The Twitter communication between Fedorov and Musk occurred as Putin ordered the Russian nuclear deterrent troops on high alert. The same day, Putin acquiesced to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for peace talks at the Belarus border, scheduled to take place on Monday, February 28.

Written by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

CNN: SpaceX Starlink user terminals arrive in Ukraine, officials says; by Emma Tucker, Melissa Alonso, and Jackie Wattles
The Hill: Musk says SpaceX Starlink satellite internet service activated in Ukraine amid Russian invasion; by Lexi Lonas
c|net: Elon Musk Activates Starlink in Ukraine Amid Internet Disruption; by Steven Musli

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Thomas Hawk’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image by Dubestskyi-Ph Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License