Over 1,570 Starlink terminals arrive in Ukraine from Poland
2 Min Read
The Ukrainian army has immensely benefited from the terminals by connecting its drones to attack Russian forces.
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Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov stands in front of the unboxed terminals (via Twitter @FedorovMykhailo)
Ukrainian Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said in a Tweet on Friday that Ukraine has received a new shipment of over 1,570 Starlink satellite internet terminals from Poland.
The satellites manufactured by SpaceX would allow Ukrainians to get access to the internet even during blackouts.
The Ukrainian army has immensely benefited from the terminals by connecting its drones to attack Russian forces.
They are donated entirely free by SpaceX and other sponsors to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
+1570 Starlinks from 🇵🇱 are already in 🇺🇦. With them, we'll launch public WI-FI points, so people can stay connected even during blackouts. Also we'll hand over Starlinks to civil administrations in liberated territories & @Ukrzaliznytsia. Big thanks to Poland and @SpaceX team! pic.twitter.com/4B81EixNa2
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) November 10, 2022
In the Tweet, Federov claimed that the Starlinks will be handed over to civil administrations in Kherson.
Since the start of the conflict, Ukraine has received more than 20,000 satellite internet terminals.
The Polish government alone has provided Ukraine with up to 5,000 of them, according to the Ukrainian Minister.
On November 14, SpaceX's founder Elon Musk said he could no longer provide the services due to a shortage of funds and asked the Pentagon to cover the costs.
A day later, Musk said he will continue to fund Starlink in Ukraine for free despite that other contractors receive government funding to manufacture military equipment for Ukraine.
On November 1, Axios said commercial satellites have become a "game changer" in warfare as satellites provide communication, combat views, and situational awareness for troops on the ground.
On November 5, 1300 SpaceX satellite units of the military went offline, raising concerns within Ukrainian forces as outages were reported near the frontlines.
The US has previously warned Russia that it would respond "appropriately" if any attacks were waged against US commercial satellites.
"Any attack on US infrastructure will be met with an appropriate response in an appropriate way," John Kirby, National Security Council Spokesperson, told reporters on October 27.
Read more: Musk pursues policy of 'we coup whoever we want' via Starlink in Iran
