Despite the criticism and the apparent love-hate relationship between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, the Starlink technology developed by Musk’s companies could be the key to a new Ukrainian tactic in its war against Russia.
The role of Starlink in Ukraine
The Ukrainian president himself has acknowledged the importance of the technology developed by Musk’s companies in facilitating communications within the country and halting Russian advances.
In fact, Zelenskyy has just awarded the South African-born entrepreneur the Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine’s highest honours, in recognition of the assistance Musk has provided to Kyiv in blocking Russia’s illegal use of Starlink technology and thereby halting the advance of its troops across Ukrainian territory.
A member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 414th Independent Brigade of Unmanned Aerial Attack Systems ‘Magyars Birds’ inspects an FP-1 deep-strike drone before it takes off on a combat mission, amidst Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, in 2026 – REUTERS/ VALETYN OGIRENKO
Musk’s Starlink system has been vital to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, maintaining communications for the civilian population, the Ukrainian government and its army after their own communications networks were destroyed by Russian attacks.
Musk agreed to activate the service in Ukraine shortly after the war began, in February 2022, following a request from the Ukrainian government.
As well as maintaining communications on Ukrainian territory despite Russian attacks, Starlink has also been crucial for battlefield communications, particularly for the operation of drones, which form a key part of Ukraine’s military strategy.
In a war where satellite communications play a vital role, Musk’s support for Ukraine – by preventing Russia’s unauthorised access to Starlink and its integration into attack drones – has been instrumental in enabling Ukraine to continue to resist.
Elon Musk, celebrating SpaceX’s IPO – PHOTO/NASDAQ
Key to the new attack tactic
Musk’s collaboration with Kyiv has enabled Starlink to take on a vital role in military communications, particularly in the case of drones, which can be controlled in areas where conventional radio links are susceptible to disruption by Russian electronic warfare.
The next step is now to persuade Musk to agree to the use of Starlink in a new attack tactic by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory. The aim is to expand the use of drones equipped with this technology to enable them to penetrate Russian territory and attack mobile launchers for Russian- and North Korean-made ballistic missiles whilst they are moving into firing positions.
In this way, Ukraine would adopt a pre-emptive tactic that would counter one of the main threats facing its air defences.
However, for the moment this is merely a hypothesis, as Elon Musk has not authorised this expansion. It should be remembered that in the past, the entrepreneur expressed reservations about his technology being used on the battlefield, which led to some tension with the Ukrainian Government.
Russian S-400 air defence missile systems during a training exercise at a military base in the Kaliningrad region, Russia, on 11 August 2020 – PHOTO/ REUTERS
Target: Russian oil
The main target of Ukrainian drone attacks at present is Russian oil refineries and Black Sea ports from which ships carrying the country’s crude oil depart.
These attacks are seriously affecting Russia’s fuel supply and its export capacity, which constitutes a major source of revenue for financing the war.
Ukrainian drone attack on an oil refinery in Moscow, Russia, on 18 June 2026, in this image obtained from social media – PHOTO/ SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERS
According to data from Bloomberg, in the four weeks leading up to 23 August, Russian crude oil exports fell to 3.46 million barrels per day. The rise in exports seen following the initial Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries – which left more crude available for export – has given way to a sharp decline that Russia is attempting to offset by redirecting oil from Kazakhstan to other ports, thereby freeing up space at the Baltic terminal of Ust-Luga, which is less exposed to Ukrainian attacks.
The situation in the Russian oil sector is becoming increasingly precarious: last July, production fell to 8.89 million barrels per day, the lowest level in the last six years, according to OPEC data.