With Russia's invasion causing significant damage to Ukraine's internet infrastructure, Musk said his company would bring its Starlink satellite internet service to the country. Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route. Musk promised after Mykhailo Fedorov, the country's vice prime minister, mentioned him. While many were quick to praise Musk's announcement, others like the Rebellion PAC executive director noted that Starlink is unlikely to help Ukrainians stay connected. The Starlink dish requires a line of sight with the constellation network. Smoke from Russian shelling can easily obstruct a signal in an urban environment, so you should not deploy the service there. How would you get Starlink to people in the city and other parts of the country? Russian forces surround the city of Kyiv.
The parts of the country that have seen the most combat have had spotty internet after four days of fighting. NetBlocks told the news agency that the internet provider in Ukraine temporarily fell to below normal levels. Ukrainians worry that the situation could change at any moment and make it harder for them to stay in touch with their loved ones.
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