Elon Musk's high-tech Starlink satellite systems, produced by his company SpaceX, have become critical for Ukrainian forces in their struggle with Russia, according to Ukraine's top intelligence official.
The systems are currently being employed on all front lines of the battle, Ukrainian Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov revealed over the weekend, as reported by Interfax Ukraine. He made the remarks at the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting, sponsored by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation.
"You can voice whatever opinion you might have on the efficaciousness of [ the Starlink systems], but the reality remains - they have been field-proven. Every single one of our frontlines are using them," said Budanov.
The intelligence head praised Starlink's significant role in the warfare, indicating its widespread application for communication, drone transmission, and remote command centers.
However, Budanov did admit that there was an instance where Starlink's coverage faltered in Russia-occupied Crimea for an undisclosed period. He clarified, "Starlink did not function for a while near Crimea. We quickly deduced a lack of coverage in the area, but that's about all I can say."
Budanov's comments coincide with recent information revealed in the new biography of Elon Musk, penned by Walter Isaacson. The book tells that the SpaceX CEO once secretly ordered his team to disrupt Starlink's communications near Crimea's coast to interrupt a covert Ukrainian assault on the Russian navy.
The biography suggests that this strategy left Ukrainian officials pleading with Musk to reactivate the satellites. The fear that a Ukrainian offensive in Crimea could provoke a nuclear retaliation from Russia, based on Musk's exchanges with high-ranking Russian figures, reportedly fuelled Musk's decision.
Musk himself confirmed via X platform—formerly known as Twitter—that the Ukrainian government did request him to activate Starlink in the Crimean region, specifically Sevastopol. The SpaceX CEO gave his reason for decline, saying it would make his company "explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."
