Elon Musk activates Starlink internet service in Ukraine after Vice-PM’s appeal amid war.

Elon Musk said Saturday his company SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service had been activated in Ukraine, after a Kyiv official urged the tech titan to provide his embattled country with stations.

“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” Musk tweeted, adding “more terminals en route.”

The tweet came some 10 hours after Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov urged Musk to provide Starlink services to Ukraine, days after it was invaded by neighboring Russia.

 “While you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space -Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations,” Fedorov tweeted at Musk. 

He also called on the billionaire “to address sane Russians to stand” against their government’s invasion.

Soon after Musk’s announcement, many on social media are all praises for the world’s richest man, who has come in support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Many thanked him for offering the services at such a crucial time when the war is being fought on the ground and in digital war rooms. 

Meanwhile, Ukraine is creating an IT army to fight against Russia’s digital intrusions. The nation has called its hacker underground to help protect the country’s critical infrastructure and conduct cyber spying missions against Russian troops, Reuters reported last week.

By line: Divya Thearia