The Pentagon signed a contract with Elon Musk's company, which will allow Ukraine to receive new Starlink protected terminals, including 2,500 existing terminals that are already operating in the country. Under the contract, the terminals will have access to the new encrypted Starshield signal, making the system much more difficult to intercept or suppress.
In total, 3,000 Starlink terminals will receive service under two contracts signed in August this year. However, these agreements are valid until 2025.
The contracts were signed despite Starlink founder Elon Musk's uncertain stance on the Russian-Ukrainian war, adding context to the cooperation between the Pentagon and Musk's company. Importantly, the agreements were concluded before Donald Trump won the US presidential election.
The protected version of Starlink will provide Ukraine with a more reliable connection for communications and military operations under the constant threat of cyberattacks and signal interception attempts. Increasing the level of security will be an important step in ensuring uninterrupted operation of satellite communications in the conditions of war.
