As we’ve been seeing for days, weeks now, people from all corners of the world are doing their part to reach out and help Ukraine . From officials of other countries opening borders to Ukrainian refugees, to normal citizens like us donating and spreading awareness, many of us are doing our part.
This includes tech superstar Elon Musk, who helped set up secure internet services in Ukraine, and has now received personal thanks from Ukraine’s President.
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Late in February, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister reached out to Elon Musk for aid.
Russian attacks upon the country had knocked out most of their internet, so Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov asked one Elon Musk to expedite the functionality of SpaceX’s Starlink internet in Ukraine.
Musk not only agreed to this, saying it was up and running within 10 hours of the initial request, but he also sent tons of Starlink terminals so the satellite-based WiFi service could be set up throughout the country.
Now, President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Musk personally.
In a tweet, Ukraine’s President said he was grateful for Musk’s support , both his words and deeds, and confirmed that even more Starlink systems are being sent their way with the hopes of bringing reliable internet connections to cities affected by bombings.
They apparently even discussed potential space projects, but Zelensky said those could wait for now.
A portion of their video call was shared to Zelensky’s Instagram, too.
In the short clip, Zelensky is seen inviting Musk to visit Ukraine after the war is over, and Musk responds by saying he “looks forward to visiting”.
Starlink’s operation in Ukraine, while helpful, does also come with its own risks.
As Musk warned, with it being the only non-Russian communications system up and running in the country, there’s a high chance of it being targeted, likely one reason why he continues to send more terminals.
His advice to help with targeted attacks was, “Turn on Starlink only when needed and place antenna away as far away from people as possible,” and, “Place light camouflage over antenna to avoid visual detection.”
h/t: Insider
