(PresidentialWire.com)- According to a recent report, the Starlink terminals SpaceX founder Elon Musk provided Ukraine have given the Ukrainian military an advantage in the drone war against Russian forces.
The Daily Mail recently reported that Ukraine’s aerial reconnaissance is attacking Russian drones and tracking down Russian tank positions. And the drones used in this reconnaissance are able to operate thanks to the Starlink terminals keeping them connected as internet and power outages plague the country.
The Saturday after Russia’s invasion, Musk activated Starlink in Ukraine and announced that SpaceX was donating more terminals.
Two weeks ago, Musk warned that as Starlink is the only non-Russian system available in some parts of Ukraine, the “probability of being targeted is high.” To minimize the danger, Musk suggested users only turn on Starlink when needed and keep the antenna “as far away from people as possible.” To avoid visual detection, Musk also suggested they put “light camouflage” in place over the antenna.
Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted his thanks to Musk and SpaceX for the donation of terminals but added that Ukraine also needed generators to keep Starlink service online and to power the country’s other emergency services due to Russian attacks on infrastructure.
In response to Fedorov’s tweet, Musk said SpaceX was updating the Starlink software to reduce “peak power consumption” so that Starlink could be powered from a car cigarette lighter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showered Musk with praise for the invaluable contribution Starlink has made to the defense of his country. In one tweet, Zelensky said he had spoken to Musk personally telling him how grateful he was for Musk’s support of Ukraine in both “words and deeds.”
On Tuesday, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell revealed that SpaceX has sent “thousands” of Starlink satellite internet kits to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. Most of the funding for the donated equipment has come from private donors, but Shotwell did say both France and Poland have helped as well.
