Every time Ukrainian gunners hit a Russian target, they have a thought for Elon Musk. Thanks to the Starlink satellites, the Ukrainian army continues to ensure good quality communications and this is essential to repel the Russian forces.
Starlink: the essential network for Ukraine
The local telephone network has been down for several weeks. To overcome this major problem, the Ukrainian military has found another solution. They use the Starlink network to communicate and coordinate attacks on Russian troops. In an exciting report, Politico tells the story of Oleksiy, a Ukrainian soldier embedded in a sensitive frontline area just south of the strategic town of Izyum in war-ravaged eastern Ukraine. Like many Ukrainian soldiers, he now uses Starlink, the satellite communication system owned by Elon Musk.
End of Service for Internet Explorer
When planning a strike, he calls his superiors for last-minute orders through a Starlink satellite receiver hidden in a shallow pit in the garden of an abandoned cottage. High-tech equipment is connected to a generator that works half the day. Military messages, but not only. Indeed, other members of the 93rd Brigade let their friends and family know that they are alive through encrypted communications, which rely on the Starlink network. Soldiers can also follow the news of the war on the Internet.
A small victory for kyiv against Moscow
While connected to the Starlink network, Ukrainian soldiers learned that the Biden administration was going to send long-range rockets to the Ukrainian military to fight against Russia. Something to motivate the troops. This technological solution is become an unexpected lifeline for the country, both on the battlefield and in the war for public opinion. Ukrainian drones also rely on Starlink to drop bombs on Russian forward positions. Residents of besieged towns near the Russian border have stayed in touch with loved ones through Musk’s satellites.
Even Volodymyr Zelensky, the country’s president, uses the Starlink network to post messages on social networks or to organize video conferences with politicians around the world, from Joe Biden to Emmanuel Macron. Ukrainian troops who held out in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol oweren’t able to keep in touch with their commanders and even with Zelensky, thanks to the Internet network provided by Starlink satellites. Elon Musk’s technological infrastructure has clearly thwarted Russia’s efforts to cut the country off from the outside world. It’s a small victory for kyiv against Moscow, in a conflict that shows no signs of ending.