More Than 5,000 SpaceX Starlink Terminals Are Now Active in Ukraine

The SpaceX Starlink satellite broadband service began operating in Ukraine shortly after Russia began its invasion of the country late last month, and already, more than 5,000 Starlink terminals have been activated in the country, according to an unnamed source speaking with The Washington Post (via Tesla North.)

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed in February that Starlink had surpassed 250,000 user terminals across the globe.

In a comment to The Washington Post regarding SpaceX’s efforts in Ukraine, musk told the publication to give his regards “to your puppet master Besos😘😘,” referring to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns The Post.

SpaceX is sending regular shipments of Starlink user terminals to the country to help maintain communications and infrastructure, with the latest batch arriving on Friday.

Recently shared Starlink speed tests from Ukraine detailed download speeds of over 200 Mbps. That’s enough for the government and citizens to stay online, coordinate emergency efforts, and maintain communications with the world.

Following the Russian invasion, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, promptly reached out to Musk on Twitter requesting Starlink access amid fears of Russian forces taking down Ukraine’s access to the internet.

Starlink has since proven instrumental in maintaining connectivity in Ukraine and making sure that administrative infrastructure and humanitarian efforts in the country remain online.