Smoke rising after shelling on the outskirts of the city is pictured from Kyiv, Ukraine February 27, 2022. REUTERS/Mykhailo Markiv
Stringer . / reuters

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.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2022

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.

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 26, 2022

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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