Elon Musk used Starlink, which saved Ukraine, to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Crimea fleet

Ukrainian soldier sets up Starlink terminal
(Image credit: Maxym Marusenko / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

An hour before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Russian hackers disabled the commercial satellite network Ukraine and its military relied on to communicate, leaving the country largely unable to mount a defense. Elon Musk stepped in, and within days, Starlink terminals were arriving in Ukraine, getting key parts of the country back online.

Russian hackers have been unable to disrupt Starlink's network, and 18 months later, "Starlink is indeed the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now" and "one of the fundamental components our our success," Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's digital minister, told The New York Times in July. A deputy field commander told the Times that "without Starlink, we cannot fly, we cannot communicate."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.