The Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vadym Sukharevsky, stated that Ukraine is actively working to find an alternative to the Starlink satellite communication system for use in military operations around the occupied Crimea. According to him, such an alternative already exists, and an active dialogue on this issue is underway.
In a March 2023 interview with Deutsche Welle, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said that Ukraine uses about 42,000 Starlink terminals to provide communications on the frontline and in critical infrastructure facilities. However, the use of Starlink has occasionally been accompanied by scandals.
In September 2023, CNN reported that SpaceX founder Elon Musk's biography stated that he had asked his engineers to turn off the Starlink network near the Crimean coast to thwart Ukrainian forces. Musk later denied this information, but acknowledged that he had received a request from Ukrainian authorities to activate Starlink to provide communications on the way to Sevastopol.
Recently, rumors have spread on Ukrainian social networks about the use of Starlink terminals by Russian troops on the front. Ukrainian intelligence confirmed these rumors, although SpaceX denied selling its terminals to Russian troops. The US Department of Defense also claims that it cannot block the service of Starlink terminals to Russian troops.
