Elon Musk sends internet to Ukraine via Starlink satellites

On Thursday 24^th February new data from NetBlocks – a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the internet – said that significant internet disruption had been registered in Ukraine. Disruptions were tracked as Russian military operations progressed across Ukraine.

Alp Toker, Director of NetBlocks, told Reuters: “We currently observe national connectivity at 87% of ordinary levels, a figure that reflects service disruptions as well as population flight and the shuttering of homes and businesses since the morning of the 24^th.”

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, asked Musk for help, to which Musk sent the necessary equipment needed to use SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service.

In a tweet last Saturday, Musk said that the “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.” Fedorov shared an image of the satellite dishes once they had arrived.

Starlink — here. Thanks, @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/dZbaYqWYCf

— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 28, 2022

However, John Scott-Railton, a Senior Researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab project, has tweeted a warning that these could become a target for airstrikes. He says that Russia has experience of targeting people’s satellite communications and provided a few examples.

How does Starlink work?

The Starlink system uses multiple, advanced satellites that orbit Earth at approximately 550km. As a comparison, most satellite internet services orbit the Earth at around 35,000km.

They work by sending information through the vacuum of space, where it can travel faster compared to in fibre-optic cables and can reach more people and more areas. As the satellites are in a low orbit, the data transference time (latency) between the satellite and the user is low.

More information can be found on the Starlink website.