SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the Starlink internet service is now available in Ukraine.
An internet monitoring firm called NetBlocks—which also detected the Russian government's efforts to block access to Twitter within the country—reported on Feb. 24 that it saw "a series of significant disruptions to internet service in Ukraine" as Russia's troops advanced.
These disruptions prompted Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to ask Musk for aid:
Musk responded to Fedorov's request approximately 10 hours later. "Starlink service is now active in Ukraine," he said. "More terminals en route." But additional details about this deployment haven't been shared by Musk, SpaceX, or Fedorov at time of writing.
Starlink's primary goal is offering high-speed internet access to remote areas via low-orbit satellites. This incident gives SpaceX the chance to show that its space-based internet service can also prove useful in emergencies when traditional networks are unavailable.
More important, it could help Ukraine maintain its connection to the rest of the world during its conflict with Russia. That connection is critical to letting people—including those in Ukraine and those watching from afar—know what's happening within the country following Russia's invasion.