Ukraine government is seeking alternatives to Elon Musk’s Starlink, vice PM says

The Ukrainian authorities is looking for alternatives to Starlink, the outer net limb of Elon Musk's SpaceX, Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Thursday.

Musk's continued enactment for Starlink successful Ukraine was called into question past period erstwhile the billionaire said his abstraction task could nary longer money the cognition successful Ukraine "indefinitely." He has since said helium volition proceed to bash so.

During a property league Thursday astatine the Web Summit tech league successful Lisbon, Portugal, Fedorov said that helium hasn't seen immoderate issues with Musk's financing of Starlink successful Ukraine continuing. The cognition is presently moving fine, helium said.

However, Fedorov, who is besides Ukraine's integer minister, said the authorities is searching for caller outer connection tools to enactment IT infrastructure successful Ukraine, which has been disrupted by Russia's invasion. Fedorov said helium had precocious received reports of a blackout successful Ukraine, arsenic Russia launched an battle connected the country's vigor infrastructure.

"We're besides utilizing different outer connection tools," said Fedorov. "We're moving with different operators, not lone SpaceX."

"One of the reasons I came to Web Summit is to look for caller partnerships and prosecute with caller partners," helium added.

One of the alternate partners Ukraine is already moving with is ICEYE, a Finnish steadfast which has been helping the state with its distant outer imaging capabilities.

For present though, it doesn't look arsenic though Starlink volition cease operating successful Ukraine astatine this stage.

Last month, Musk said SpaceX couldn't proceed backing Starlink terminals successful Ukraine "indefinitely." The daze announcement came aft a CNN study that his abstraction institution had asked the Pentagon to screen the costs.

Eventually Musk reversed his determination to chopped disconnected the funding. "The hellhole with it," the billionaire tweeted, "even though Starlink is inactive losing wealth & different companies are getting billions of payer $, we'll conscionable support backing Ukraine govt for free."

SpaceX's donated Starlink net terminals person been important successful keeping Ukraine's subject online during the warfare against Russia, adjacent arsenic connection infrastructure gets destroyed. Russia began its penetration of Ukraine successful precocious February.

Musk, who is nary alien to controversy, has been criticized for comments helium made astir the warfare successful Ukraine. In a Twitter poll, helium suggested regions illegally annexed by Russia should beryllium allowed to clasp U.N.-monitored referendums to determine whether they privation to go portion of Russia.

He besides said it was his content that the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia successful 2014, was "formally portion of Russia" and should beryllium handed to Moscow.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deed backmost astatine Musk, putting retired his ain Twitter canvass asking "Which Elon Musk bash you similar more? One who supports Ukraine [or] 1 who supports Russia."

Musk was adjacent told by Ukraine's outgoing ambassador to Germany to "f--- off." When pressed connected wherefore helium had wanted to propulsion the plug connected backing for Starlink successful Ukraine, Musk said helium was "just pursuing his recommendation."

Ukraine has had a notable beingness astatine Web Summit, wherever it is seeking assistance from nationalist and backstage assemblage sources to bolster its combat against Russia. Earlier successful the property conference, Microsoft President Brad Smith announced a $100 cardinal concern successful exertion assistance for Ukraine, taking the company's full publication to the warfare effort to $400 million. 

There's been "a caller benignant of hybrid warfare combining cyber weapons and different assaults connected integer technology," Smith said.

Microsoft's determination volition "enable the authorities and different organizations successful Ukraine to proceed to tally their services done the Microsoft unreality and our nationalist information centers dispersed crossed Europe," Smith said.