MADRID, September 19. /TASS/. Ukraine’s authorities are looking for alternatives to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications service, but recognize that they cannot drop it, Spanish El Pais newspaper reported.
According to the paper, Ukraine's existence largely depends on Musk, as Starlink plays a very important role for the Ukrainian armed forces. If the communication service stops working, the Ukrainian defense may collapse, El Pais wrote, adding that Kiev is looking for alternatives for its military communications and has demonstrated that they are available.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian authorities recognize that it is impossible to abandon Musk's technology, the paper states. Kiev's main hope is that the US authorities guarantee that the provider of the Starlink system, SpaceX, will not cut it off.
On September 10, Kirill Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), said that the Ukrainian armed forces use Starlink systems on the entire front line and confirmed that they did not work near Crimea "for a certain time."
Earlier, three Democratic US senators demanded that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin answer questions about whether entrepreneur Elon Musk actually refused to activate the Starlink satellite communications service in Crimea in 2022 at the Ukrainian authorities’ request. Musk said that he refused Ukraine's request to activate Starlink because he wanted to help people. According to the entrepreneur, Starlink should not be used for Kiev's attack on Crimea, as it would violate the company's user agreement. Musk also explained his action by the effect of anti-Russian sanctions.