Starlink keeps Ukraine connected

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and attacked the country's communications infrastructure, Starlink was activated across Ukraine within days. Thousands of terminals followed, restoring internet connectivity for hospitals, emergency services, civilians and the country's defense.

It became one of the most consequential real-world demonstrations of satellite internet ever seen: a resilient network that could not be easily knocked out by strikes on ground infrastructure, keeping a nation online through war. World leaders and Ukrainian officials repeatedly credited it as vital.

Starlink's role in conflict zones has also raised hard questions about the power and responsibility that come with privately controlled critical infrastructure — a serious policy debate. But the underlying fact is striking: a commercial satellite network, launched on reusable rockets, proved able to keep an entire country connected under bombardment when nothing else could.