Elon Musk backs Ukraine, activates Starlink satellites for Internet access

On Saturday, the world’s wealthiest man, Elon Musk revealed that his company SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service had been activated in Ukraine, after a Kyiv official urged the tech titan to provide his embattled country with stations.

In a tweet from his verified Twitter handle, Must said, “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,”  adding “more terminals en route.”

The tweet came some 10 hours after Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov urged Musk to provide Starlink services to Ukraine, days after it was invaded by neighboring Russia.

“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.

He also called on the billionaire “to address sane Russians to stand” against their government’s invasion.

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.

Starlink operates a constellation of more than 2,000 satellites that aim to provide internet access across the planet. The company on Friday launched a further 50 Starlink satellites and many more are slated to be put into Earth’s orbit.

The Russo-Ukrainian War is an ongoing war primarily involving Russia, Belarus, and pro-Russian forces on one side, and Ukraine on the other. Armed conflict began in February 2014 in the wake of Euromaidan, centred on the status of Crimea and parts of the Donbas, which are internationally recognised as part of Ukraine.

AFP