Musk denied the access for the Ukrainian armed forces to Starlink near Crimea. But the Pentagon will buy up to 500 terminals for Ukraine, which Musk can't disconnect - NYT

More than 42,000 Starlink terminals are currently operating in Ukraine and are used by the military, hospitals, businesses and humanitarian organisations. The New York Times writes that there have been cases when servicemen have been restricted from accessing satellite Internet. For example, in the area of temporarily occupied Crimea.

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The material says that the almost complete control of Elon Musk over the satellite Internet raises concerns. Sources say that in 2022 he denied Ukrainian soldiers access to Starlink internet in the area of occupied Crimea, and that this affected the strategy for liberating Ukrainian territories. And in late 2022, some 1,300 Starlink terminals purchased through the British supplier stopped working in Ukraine after the government failed to pay a monthly fee of $2,500 each.

In addition, SpaceX is limiting Starlink's availability on the front lines based on changes to the front lines. Musk has also stated that its technology cannot be used for long-range drone strikes.

However, there appears to be a solution to this problem. The US Department of Defence in June 2023 approved a deal with SpaceX and the purchase of 400 to 500 new Starlink terminals and services for Ukraine. According to several sources, the Pentagon gets control over the setup of where Starlink's internet signal operates in Ukraine. Thus, Musk will not be able to shut down those terminals and limit their performance, and Ukraine will be able to perform sensitive functions without risking loss of signal.

Source: The New York Times
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