Satellite internet connections from the US company Starlink are influencing the course of the war in Ukraine.Image: Shutterstock
While Donald Trump continues to stand by Kremlin boss Putin, his once closest confidant has given Ukraine a decisive advantage. At the origin was a special phone call.
March 17, 2026, 8:45 p.mMarch 18, 2026, 08:10
Nobody wants to talk about a turnaround in the war in Ukraine. But the Ukrainian offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk area is one of the first bright spots for the attacked country in over a year and a half. Like the Institute for the Study of War in its Daily analysis writes, the Ukrainian advance is forcing the Russian army to regroup and weaken its own offensive efforts.
The ongoing communication chaos behind Russian lines undoubtedly contributes to this success. And behind this there is a name: Elon Musk. Since the richest man in the world largely deprived the Russians of use of his Starlink satellite system, they have been in the dark when it comes to combat and drone use.
Starlink usage: Elon Musk gave Ukraine an advantage.Image: AP
Musk’s about-face is all the more remarkable because his former best friend in the Oval Office continues to do everything he can to support Russia and to antagonize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Donald Trump only rated this at the weekend Ukrainian support for drone defense in the Iran war as “unnecessary”. There is hardly ever any resistance in the Republican Party to this continued defamation. The question arises as to what prompted Elon Musk to change his mind.
An interview with Pavel Yelizarov, the deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, sheds light on the matter: It was a personal conversation between Elon Musk and the then Ukrainian Digital Minister Mikhailo Fedorov, which, according to Yelizarov, led to the decisive breakthrough.
“Musk was obviously in a good mood,” the Air Force officer said of the phone call. The two spoke to each other via video and quickly came to an understanding. As a result, the previous settings on the Starlink system were quickly changed.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov speaks during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels.Image: keystone
Actually, initially it was just about equal treatment
The crazy thing about it is that the Ukrainians originally just wanted the tech billionaire to achieve equal treatment when using Starlink. According to Jelisarov’s account, Ukraine increasingly suffered from the enemy’s technical innovation.
Russian drones equipped with Starlink terminals flying over Ukrainian territory transmitted video and targeting data in real time – a huge advantage in electronic warfare. Putin’s army procured the terminals on the gray market and via the United Arab Emirates; from the area that is now suffering from drone fire by Russia’s ally Iran.
At the same time, Ukrainian drones on Russian territory could not use the satellite connection because the system was not originally activated there. The Ukrainian government then came up with the idea of opening Starlink via Russia in order to create equal operating conditions. The Ukrainian Digital Minister Mikhail Fedorov personally contacted Elon Musk for this purpose.
The former Ukrainian digital minister Mikhail Fedorov has now been promoted to defense minister.Image: keystone
Russian military bloggers complain about massive problems
Apparently impressed by Fedorov’s comments, the Starlink owner not only leveled the playing field, but also excluded Russian users using a “white list” created by Ukraine.
From the Ukrainian officer’s point of view, Fedorov’s intervention was decisive. “He actually deserves a monument while he’s still alive,” says Jelisarov. Criticism is often voiced in Kiev when problems arise, while successful solutions receive little attention, he emphasized to the Substack channel “Russia Analyzed”. This breakthrough may also have contributed significantly to Fedorov’s appointment as defense minister.
Russian military bloggers, for their part, complain about the ongoing massive communication problems at the front. Data from the internet analysis service Cloudflare Radar shows that the volume of satellite-based data traffic in the war zone has recently fallen by more than half.
Like the specialist portal “Militär Aktuell” reported, Russian units often rely on microwave links as a substitute. To do this, antennas must be installed on high infrastructure such as electricity pylons. However, these improvised communication points are vulnerable: Ukrainian drone pilots are now deliberately attacking such systems, which can increasingly turn repair or installation work into a deadly trap for Russian soldiers.
(fwa)