The ability to communicate is as critical as having ammunition during a war. One of the first things Russia did when they invaded Ukraine was take down their internet service, a move that could have crippled the Ukraine military.
Then Elon Musk stepped in and allowed Ukraine to use SpaceX Starlink satellite internet service for free and sent thousands of Starlink terminals to Kyiv.
The military had wifi service, and so did some civilians. It was a noble and costly gesture that Musk says they can’t afford anymore.
A CNN report said SpaceX sent a letter to the Pentagon in September asking for the US Government to take over the cost of providing Starlink service to the Ukraine government and military.
When you see how much it has and will continue to cost to power Ukraine’s internet, you can see why Musk did this. The CNN story said the price tag would be another $120 million for 2022, and the total cost for the year would be nearly $400 million.
Here’s part of the letter to the Pentagon.
“We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.”
The CNN story said there are approximately 20,000 Starlink terminals SpaceX has sent to Ukraine. For those, the US government and other countries, including Poland, have paid about 85%, with Musk’s company picking up the rest of the tab. Where things have got costly is the internet connectivity, of which SpaceX has funded 70%.
The timing of this is very interesting. Earlier this month, Musk conducted a poll on Twitter regarding a peace plan idea he had for Russia and Ukraine. Andrew Melnyk, who was Ukraine’s Ambassador to Germany before he was fired, responded to Musk’s idea by writing “F*** off” in his reply.
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