When battle broke out in Ukraine, the nation confronted threats of Russian cyberattacks and shelling that had the potential to take down the Internet, making it mandatory to develop a backup plan. So the nation’s minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, tweeted a direct plea to Musk urging him to ship assist. Musk replied simply hours later: “Starlink service is now lively in Ukraine. Extra terminals en route.”

Ukraine has already acquired hundreds of antennas from Musk’s corporations and European allies, which has proved “very efficient,” Fedorov mentioned in an interview with The Washington Publish Friday.

“The standard of the hyperlink is great,” Fedorov mentioned via a translator, utilizing a Starlink connection from an undisclosed location. “We’re utilizing hundreds, within the space of hundreds, of terminals with new shipments arriving each different day.”

Using Starlink as a stopgap measure for residents and the federal government to keep related throughout an invasion is a significant check of the comparatively new expertise, consultants say, and will have widespread implications for the way forward for battle. Internet has grow to be an important device for communication, staying knowledgeable and even powering weapons.

It’s additionally a check for Musk. The world’s richest man, valued at $232 billion in accordance to the Bloomberg Billionaire‘s Index, makes a behavior of turning to Twitter for brash guarantees and proclamations within the midst of world crises. Already this week, the Tesla CEO has challenged Putin to a battle and adopted up by pledging he would use only one hand if Putin was scared. And he advised Putin he might carry a bear.

However this time, Fedorov and a few consultants say he’s come via. Tesla staff in Europe reportedly assembled methods to assist energy Starlink in Ukraine, and Fedorov mentioned different European nations have sent Starlink tools from their very own provides.

Musk responded to a request for touch upon his efforts with Starlink and previous efforts, telling The Publish to give his regards “to your puppet grasp Besos😘😘.” (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Publish.) Musk didn’t reply to a follow-up request particularly on his work with Starlink in Ukraine.

SpaceX declined to touch upon its work in Ukraine.

Internet disruptions can be attributable to energy outages or by fiber optic cables being reduce on account of shelling, consultants mentioned. The Starlink expertise is being utilized by civilians in areas below assault which have misplaced Internet service, and by authorities officers. Starlink terminals have additionally been supplied to assist the nation’s tech corporations keep on-line when the battle has compelled them to relocate. The Instances of London studies {that a} Ukrainian unit is utilizing Starlink to join its drones attacking Russian forces.

Starlink has grown rapidly in recent times, surpassing some satellite Internet opponents by launching greater than 1,000 satellites into house. Folks should purchase the service on-line for $99 a month, plus $499 for the tools, however Starlink cautions it might take six or extra months to ship in some circumstances.

An individual aware of Starlink’s effort in Ukraine, talking on the situation of anonymity to focus on delicate issues, mentioned there are greater than 5,000 terminals within the nation.

Nonetheless, consultants mentioned that even a giant Starlink community in all probability wouldn’t be sufficient energy to preserve a complete nation on-line and working at full-speed. However the terminals can function a dependable backup as Internet companies falter. Fedorov mentioned he and his workers are having discussions with different European leaders and firms about extra satellite and mobile applied sciences that would assist preserve Ukrainians on-line within the occasion of higher Internet outages.

Internet flows deteriorated on the primary day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 and haven’t totally recovered, in accordance to data-monitoring companies. However since that preliminary dip, connectivity has remained pretty steady, with primarily short-term, remoted outages even throughout heavy Russian shelling.

“Each day there are outages, however usually service comes again,” mentioned Doug Madory, director of Internet evaluation for Kentik, which screens world knowledge flows.

Even earlier than Fedorov tweeted at Musk for assist, SpaceX was engaged on a approach to get Starlink to Ukraine. President and COO Gwynne Shotwell mentioned in a chat at California Institute of Expertise this month that the corporate had been working for a number of weeks to get regulatory approval to permit the satellites to talk in Ukraine.

Fedorov’s company is working to get Starlink terminals to areas the place Internet entry has been reduce off, he mentioned. The methods have in some cases been used to join folks when mobile networks within the nation have been overloaded.

Fedorov mentioned that he’s briefly texted with Musk and that the tech billionaire has additionally had a name with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

There are some considerations that accompany the usage of the terminals. Like all satellite communications throughout battle, Starlink alerts might be used to detect the situation of the antennas, consultants say.

Whereas it’s unclear if Russia can use the alerts to goal assaults, Musk instructed warning on Twitter.

“Necessary warning: Starlink is the one non-Russian communications system nonetheless working in some components of Ukraine, so likelihood of being focused is excessive,” he tweeted. He added that customers ought to activate the terminal solely when wanted and preserve it distant from folks.

Specialists have warned that the gadgets might give away Ukrainians’ areas to Russian attackers, however that hasn’t been a difficulty to this point, Fedorov mentioned. The gadgets have normally been utilized in “densely populated areas the place there would be numerous civilians anyway.”

He mentioned Russian cyberattacks haven’t ramped up on the methods — but.

“They presently seem to be very busy attacking the web sites of our small cities and villages,” Fedorov mentioned. “I feel they’re simply not at that time but.”

As a result of Starlink remains to be comparatively new, there’s so much to determine about how and if it’s possible to use in battle zones, protection and house trade consultants say.

“The reply is it’s probably helpful, however there’s so much we don’t know,” mentioned Brian Weeden, director of program planning for house sustainability nonprofit Safe World Basis, pointing to the chance of cyberattacks and what precisely the wants are.

Russians, in addition to many others, have expertise able to find, jamming and generally intercepting many sorts of transmissions. Starlink’s expertise might be a goal for these efforts, mentioned John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at College of Toronto’s Citizen Lab.

“However I feel it’s actually necessary that folks in Ukraine and areas with out connectivity get related, so it’s a query of understanding and balancing danger,” he mentioned.

In Kyiv, one Ukrainian engineer noticed the Twitter exchanges between Fedorov and Musk and hurried to piece again collectively a Starlink terminal he had purchased months earlier. Oleg Kutkov mentioned he purchased a terminal simply to disassemble it and put it again collectively — as an engineer, he was curious to see the way it labored.

However now that Starlink companies are enabled within the nation, it might really show helpful, he mentioned. His common Internet service remains to be working, however he put the Starlink antenna out his window and turned it on to check, he mentioned. The velocity was actually quick.

“Internet connection is basically necessary right here in Ukraine,” Kutkov mentioned. “We’re getting numerous data from social media channels, from the federal government and from one another.” Kutkov bought so many questions from fellow Ukrainians about Starlink that he arrange a Fb group to handle them. It now has 370 members.

Christian Davenport, Craig Timberg and Joseph Menn contributed to this report.