When the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022, Ukraine’s telecommunications infrastructure was quickly attacked and significantly damaged. As of mid-March 2022, more than a third of mobile base stations were out of service in conflict zones, according to the regulator.
Faced with this critical situation that paralyzed military and civilian communications, the Ukrainian government asked Elon Musk for help. The billionaire quickly developed his Starlink satellite networkwhose easily portable antennas allow access to the Internet via a satellite connection.
In a few weeks, thousands of terminals were transported to Ukraine and distributed on the ground to the armed forces, as well as to the civilian population. Starlink thus became a key strategic tool for coordinating the resistance, transporting reinforcements or even disseminating information.
Despite occasional failures attributed to Russian cyberattacks, the network has proved generally efficient and resilient until recent months. As of now, Ukraine only has this satellite capacity to secure its military communications, as ground infrastructure has been destroyed during fierce fighting.