In February 2022, two days after Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine requested American aerospace company SpaceX to activate their Starlinksatellite internet service in the country to replace internet and communication networks degraded or destroyed during the war.[2][3][4] Starlink has since been used by Ukrainian civilians, government and military.[3][5] The satellite service has served for humanitarian purposes, as well as defense and attacks on Russian positions.[6]
Initially, SpaceX provided and funded Starlink services to Ukraine largely on their own.[7][8][9] As of June 2023[update] Starlink expenses for Ukraine are covered by the US Department of Defense through a contract with SpaceX.[10] SpaceX executives have declined to extend Starlink availability to Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine like Crimea.[11][6] This was criticized by Ukraine as it prevented them from carrying out military operations in those areas.[12][13][14] Despite this, Starlink is considered to have become a reliable partner to Ukraine in the war,[15] and has become a substitute for modern encrypted real-time communication in warfare.[16]
In 2022, Elon Musk denied a Ukrainian request to extend Starlink's coverage up to Crimea during an attack on a Crimean port due to US sanctions on Russia.[17] This event was widely reported in 2023 as an erroneous claim that Musk "turned off" Starlink coverage in Crimea.[18][19] SpaceX executives said numerous times that Starlink needed to remain a civilian network;[20][21][11] in late 2022, as Starlink was being used as a tool in combat in Ukraine, SpaceX announced Starshield, a Starlink-like program designed for government customers.[22][20]
In Russia, the use of Starlink to attack Russian targets has been criticized by government officials. Russia's military has repeatedly tried to disrupt Starlink services in Ukraine.[23][10] The Russian military reportedly also used to use Starlink with smuggled terminals.[24] This unauthorized Starlink use was eventually blocked.[15]
Through his company SpaceX and division Starlink, Elon Musk's involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War has been significant, and met with concerns.[25]