Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelensky Responds to Elon Musk's Starlink Help Amid Invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked SpaceX founder Elon Musk for sending a truckload of Starlink antennas to Ukraine, which Russia is invading.

On Sunday, Zelensky took to Twitter to thank Musk for the equipment sent to Ukraine to provide internet to some of the country's war-torn cities, The Daily Mail reported.

"Talked to @elonmusk. I'm grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds," Zelensky tweeted, adding that another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities will arrive next week.

It was still unclear how many Starlink systems would be sent to Ukraine. The Ukrainian government also did not disclose where the equipment would be set up.

The Ukrainian president further noted that he talked with Musk about "possible space projects." However, Zelensky did not specify what they talked about, but he added that he would talk about it after the war against Russia.

Elon Musk Sends Starlink Systems to Ukraine Amid Russia's Invasion

Considered SpaceX's first consumer product, Starlink is one of the fastest and most robust satellite internet systems powered by a network of thousands of small low-orbit satellites.

On February 26, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister and minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, asked Elon Musk for help with its internet amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He asked Musk to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations from SpaceX.

The billionaire replied: "Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route." Ukraine said it had received the donated Starlink satellite internet terminals on Monday.

Musk reportedly sent a truckload of Starlink antennas to Ukraine last week that can be used to connect to Space X's satellite-based internet service as some areas in the country experienced internet outages.

Alp Toker, who heads the internet monitoring firm NetBlocks, told CNN that many parts of still has access to their normal internet connections, despite attacks on other communications infrastructure, such as a TV tower in Kyiv by Russian invaders,

However, it noted that the heaviest disruptions were observed in the eastern part of Ukraine like in Mariupol, Melitopol, Kharkiv, and past the Luhansk and Donetsk regions toward the country's-controlled regions and Severodonetsk.

Concerns on Elon Musk's Starlink Systems

According to BBC, Elon Musk's Starlink works after plugging it in the dish or terminal, and it will automatically connect itself to the nearest Starlink satellite in the sky.

The satellite then connects with the nearest ground station or gateway that supplies the internet. These gateways are located around the world.

However, Musk warned that the Starlink satellite broadband service could be "targeted" in Ukraine. He tweeted that Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still operational in portions of Ukraine. Thus, he noted that the "probability of being targeted is high."

"Please use with caution," Musk added.

The "important warning" came days after an internet security researcher warned that satellite communication devices might become "beacons" that Russia could target for airstrikes.

John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab who has spent years studying hacking and surveillance in conflict zones, tweeted that Elon Musk's assistance was "good to see" but warned users to be careful.

In a series of 15 tweets detailing the risks, he noted that "Russia has decades of experience hitting people by targeting their satellite communications."

"...if #Putin controls the air above #Ukraine, users' uplink transmissions become beacons... for airstrikes," he said.

Musk has asked users to use Starlink only when necessary and put the antenna as far away from people as possible. He also told the netizens to "place light camouflage over antenna to avoid visual detection."

Musk further noted that spray paint also works, "provided no metal participles in paint."

A Twitter user asked Musk if the Starlink system could really be under the threat of a Russian cyberattack. Musk said "yes," as it did already happen to almost all Viasat Ukraine user terminals, which "were rendered permanently unusable," on the first day of the Russian invasion.

When the SpaceX chief was asked if "there anything to stop it on Starlink," Musk responded with just two words: "Game on."

Meanwhile, Toker noted that Musk's telecommunications equipment also carries the risk of being "traced and triangulation" through radio frequency emissions.

Toker added that Starlink would not get Ukraine back online when the country experienced a "nation-scale" blackout, CNN reported. However, Toker said Elon Musk's Starlink "can provide hotspots for crucial services," such as supporting journalists, resistance groups, and public officials.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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