In the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the US space exploration technology (SpaceX company ) played an important role, especially after the conventional Ukrainian communication system was cut off, the company's "Starlink" Internet satellite system maintained key communication capabilities. But recent news seems to suggest that SpaceX's cooperation with Ukraine seems to have serious problems.
British "Financial Times " said on the 8th that senior Ukrainian government officials said that when Ukrainian soldiers broke through the front line and entered positions controlled by Russia, and even during the fierce battle, the " Starlink " used by the Ukrainian army was interrupted, "since the catastrophic loss of communication in recent weeks." Ukrainian officials revealed that this situation is serious near the Khlsong and Zaporoze areas in the south, and this has also occurred in the Kharkiv , Donetsk and Luhansk frontline areas in the east.
Another Ukrainian official said that communication failures in the "Starlink" system were common, prompting Ukrainian soldiers to call the rescue hotline in panic. Both Ukrainian officials said that when Ukrainian soldiers entered a city that was only recently "liberated" from the Russian army, it was difficult for them to connect to the satellite Internet service of the "Starlink" system.
This situation is indeed worth worrying for the Ukrainian army. According to Western media statistics, just two days after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict broke out, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk agreed to provide "Starlink" satellite Internet services in the Ukrainian region at the request of Ukraine, and began to transport ground terminals in large quantities. In June, SpaceX's report stated that 15,000 sets of "Starlink" ground terminals had been delivered to Ukraine within three months of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. This figure does not include the amount of donations from other Western institutions. For example, The United States Agency for International Development html invested US$2 million in 24 to purchase 1,333 sets of "Starlink" ground terminals from SpaceX and transported them to Ukraine.
Ukrainian army used the "Starlink" terminal to connect to the tactical command system
Such a large number of "Starlink" terminals not only allowed Ukraine to ensure basic communication capabilities, "completely thwarted Russia's information warfare attempts", but was also widely used by the Ukrainian army in military operations. Photos and videos circulated on social media show that Ukrainian soldiers not only use the "Starlink" terminal to report safety with their families in the rear, but also use it for real-time data transmission of combat command and battlefield intelligence. The US "Wire" magazine once disclosed that after the Ukrainian drone discovered the Russian military target, the front-line operators could immediately send the target position and other parameters to the rear command through the "Starlink" terminal, and mobilize long-range firepower such as " Himas " to carry out target strikes.
To a certain extent, the Wujun can be said to have mastered the electromagnetic initiative on the battlefield with the help of "Starlink".
It is precisely because of the Ukrainian army's current extreme dependence on the "Starlink" terminal, and the Ukrainian army's panic can be imagined when the current line has been interrupted on a large scale. The Financial Times said that a spokesperson for Ukrainian Defense Minister Leznikov and a spokesperson for Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Zaluzine, declined to comment, but three Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front line confirmed that the "Starlink" terminal equipped for them stopped working during the battle. One of the soldiers said that in recent days, several Starlink terminals have failed to work in the newly "liberated" areas near Kharkov. Two Western officials said they knew about the interruption of equipment communications but declined to comment further, including where the interruption occurred.
The combat effectiveness demonstrated by the Ukrainian army is closely related to the role played by the "Starlink" terminal
reported that there is a speculation that the reason for the catastrophic communication interruption of the "Starlink" terminal of the Ukrainian army on the front line was believed to be that SpaceX tried to prevent the Russian army from using the system, thus limiting the connection services in the Russian military controlled area.But this statement is not very convincing - the Russian army's communication system is relatively complete, and there is no need to use the "Starlink" terminal to maintain communication capabilities. If SpaceX really did it on purpose, it would probably harm the Ukrainian army much more than the impact on the Russian army. What is more worth remembering about is Musk's response to this. On the 8th, he said on social media that "the report of the Financial Times is terrible. This article mistakenly claimed that the 'Starlink' terminals and services (in Ukraine) are paid, but in fact only a small part is paid." But the outside world noticed that for the key part of the British media reports - why the "Starlink" terminal in the hands of the Ukrainian army cannot be connected, he avoided the important and used the sentence "The situation on the battlefield is confidential."
The US "Business Insider" website said on the 8th that in addition to the problems with the "Starlink" terminal in the hands of the Ukrainian army, Musk has recently been severely criticized by Ukraine for his comments on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Musk made four suggestions on Twitter to stop the Ukrainian crisis on the 3rd, namely: First, a new referendum on the "occupied area" under the supervision of United Nations ; Second, Crimea officially became part of Russia; Third, Crimea water supply is guaranteed; Fourth, Ukraine remains neutral.
This remark caused an uproar in Ukraine, and Ukrainian government officials, people and media have strongly criticized it. Ukrainian President Zelensky then launched a vote "Which Musk do you prefer?" "Do you support Ukraine or Russia?" The Kiev Post also criticized: "Musk's situation is obviously out of control. When he tried to impersonate an expert on Ukraine, his ego and vanity seemed to play a huge role." Musk responded, "I am a loyal fan of Ukraine, but not a (fan) of World War III."
So does this recent series of trends imply that SpaceX's honeymoon period of cooperation with Ukraine has passed? Will the failure of the "Starlink" terminal on the Ukrainian frontline continue for a long time? What will the subsequent impact of the loss of the support of "Starlink" on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict? These are all worthy of continuous attention.
