Poland’s government has confirmed that it has given Ukraine 150 Starlink terminals, which provide access to Elon Musk’s satellite internet system. They are being used to aid communication in areas recently liberated from Russian occupation.
Last week, Ukraine’s digital transformation ministry announced that Poland had provided the equipment, thanks to which “people in Izium, Balakliya, Kupiansk and nine other liberated cities were able to contact their relatives again”.
“Local authorities received the terminals: 24 city and rural councils of Kharkiv region,” continued the statement, quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. “This is necessary for effective coordination of the restoration of the territory liberated from the Russians.”
That news was then confirmed by Michał Dworczyk, a Polish government minister who until this month also served as the prime minister’s chief of staff.
“Poland has provided Ukraine with 150 Starlink terminals, thanks to which communication is restored in the areas liberated from Russian occupation,” tweeted Dworczyk. “The terminals have been installed mainly in cities of the Kharkiv region.”
Polska przekazała Ukrainie 150 terminali Starlink, dzięki którym przywracana jest łączność na terenach wyzwolonych spod rosyjskiej okupacji. Terminale zainstalowano głównie w miastach obwodu charkowskiego. 🇵🇱🤝🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/mDOkZXqMoy
— Michał Dworczyk (@michaldworczyk) October 14, 2022
Starlink has provided a communications lifeline for both military and civilian purposes in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. The system is run by SpaceX, Musk’s spacecraft and satellite communications firm.
Musk had recently suggested that his firm cannot continue “funding the existing system indefinitely”, and had called on the US government to help pay for it. On Sunday he backtracked, pledging on Twitter to continue funding the system.
Poland has been among Ukraine’s strongest international supporters during the war. It has donated more military equipment to Kyiv than any country other than the United States, while also providing extensive humanitarian and diplomatic support.
Poland has also been the primary destination for refugees fleeing Russian aggression against Ukraine. Around one million Ukrainian refugees are estimated to remain in Poland, with Poland set to spend €8.4 billion on supporting them this year.
Main image credit: Adam Zolyak/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
