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]
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[15][10] and the Russian military has reportedly also used Starlink with smuggled terminals.[16]
Through his company SpaceX and division Starlink, Elon Musk's involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian War has been significant, and met with concerns.[17]