Ukraine should no longer have problems with the maintenance of Starlink satellite communication terminals. This was stated by Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Politico reported. According to him, top Ukrainian officials are in direct contact with Elon Musk and are solving the problem of paying for Starlink terminals, which provide communications for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.

Reznikov reported that the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov took over communication with Musk.

“He’s in charge of digitization and has direct links to Elon Musk. He has personal contacts and Mykhailo has been very positive in his recent conversations about it.” said.

Reznikov also added that there will be no problems with the maintenance of Starlink terminals due to the lack of funds. Ukraine has at least three sources for calculating satellite internet. Payment for Starlink can be included in the military aid package from the Pentagon or Europe can contribute financing. The third option is the support of private donors.

The minister stressed “Regardless of funding, Ukraine will continue to communicate with Elon Musk’s company on a technical level”.

Earlier, the Pentagon stated that it is looking for the possibility of further operation of Starlink communication systems in Ukraine. This happens after Elon Musk’s company, SpeceX, asked the US Department of Defense to take over payment for Starlink services. They assured us that there will still be satellite communications in Ukraine, with or without Elon Musk.

SpaceX has claimed that its services will cost $124 million by the end of 2022 and $400 million by 2023. The company stated that it has already spent about $100 million of its own funds for communications in Ukraine.

SpaceX returned to the Pentagon after receiving a new request from the Armed Forces. This document states that 4,000 terminals are currently operating simultaneously for defensive purposes. However, about 500 devices are lost every month in wars. Therefore, Valery Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, asked Elon Musk for another 8,000 terminals. Source