Ukraine doesn’t boast Russia’s firepower, however it has its own game-changer: Elon Musk.
The billionaire Tesla CEO is widely credited for enjoying an enormous role in Ukraine’s defense, providing his Starlink satellite web service after the Russian invasion last February disrupted local web services.
His SpaceX-owned service has installed 1000’s of terminals to maintain the Ukrainian military online.
“He’s really saving the day for Ukraine,” Todd Humphreys, an aerospace engineering professor on the University of Texas told The Sunday Times of London.
Starlink has also improved Ukraine’s drone attacks, the newspaper reported. One Ukrainian naval drone was present in Sevastopol, Crimean headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, late last 12 months with a Starlink dish lashed to its stern.
“Musk has put within the hands of the Ukrainian military the facility of the Web, which will be utilized in all kinds of ways,” said General Sir Richard Barrons, the previous head of the UK forces command.
“Having the Web is profoundly essential to the best way the war is being fought,” he added. “Soldiers can flip down a screen showing a tactical map of the battlefield, helping to advertise common situational awareness of where the enemy is. It makes a giant difference.”
Despite his efforts, Musk’s relationship with Ukraine isn’t all rosy.
He got here under fire from President Volodymyr Zelensky last October for suggesting Ukraine should end the war by conceding Crimea to Russia, in addition to doing an UN-supervised “redo” of elections that Russia staged to annex several regions of the country.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany even wrote on Twitter: “F–k off is my very diplomatic reply to you @elonmusk.”
Musk initially threatened to drag funding to maintain the service running but never shut it down. The Sunday Times reported it’s unclear who’s picking up Ukraine’s tab but added the US is believed to be carrying a few of the cost.
