Few people took Elon Musk’s threat to stop funding Ukraine’s Starlink internet network as seriously as Ukrainian major Roman Omelchenko.
And for good reason, the soldier is responsible for communications on much of the Kherson front in southern Ukraine.
Funding questioned
Last month, the world’s richest man took to his favorite social media platform, Twitter, which he already bought, to ask why he should continue to provide Ukraine with free satellite internet service.
But a few days later, the fiery businessman changed his mind. “To hell with it,” wrote Elon Musk, after the anticipation raised by his initial announcement.
On the Kherson front, Major Roman Omelchenko still doesn’t know if Elon Musk’s second tweet was ironic or if the billionaire really intends to keep paying for Israel’s main line of communication, the Ukrainian military.
Thousands of terminals shipped to Ukraine
He only knows that the loss of Starlink would leave him in trouble as the battle for Kherson looms, where Ukrainian troops are preparing for a likely offensive.
For him, “it would be very difficult to do without.”
Elon Musk is very popular in Ukraine for shipping thousands of Starlink terminals in the early days of the Russian invasion.
The country now has 20,000 of these little white antennas hidden in war zones.
His role became even more crucial when Russia began targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with long-range missile strikes, knocking out power in many parts of the country.
Very simple and very powerful.
A power outage typically shuts down most mobile phone services and even complicates basic communications in the field.
The only alternatives for soldiers are walkie-talkies and older models of satellite dishes, which require much more time and effort to implement.
The satellite dishes are connected to the constellation of satellites by transmissions that, according to the major, are almost impossible for the Russians to detect.
The dishes are then connected to basic routers that create small Wi-Fi hotspots. This is where the only danger lies.
According to Roman Omeltchenko, the Russians can detect the Wi-Fi signal and use it to target their attacks.
Therefore, the terminals must be installed in covered places that allow the Wi-Fi signals to be hidden. The entire system remains remarkably easy to use.
An estimated cost of $400 million
According to the major, soldiers can set up an operational satellite feed on the battlefield in minutes.
This then connects everyone from remote drone operators to soldiers and commanders in the war zone.
Many interpreted Elon Musk’s tweets as an attempt to pressure the Pentagon to pay at least part of the Starlink bill.
According to the CNN television channel, the company SpaceX had sent a letter to the Pentagon in September to say that it could no longer bear the costs of the service in Ukraine.
Elon Musk’s company was asking the US Department of Defense to take over funding for the use of Starlink by the Ukrainian government and its military, the cost of which was estimated at $400 million over the next 12 years. months.
Roman Omeltchenko does not want to know the true intentions of Elon Musk. “It’s up to him whether he continues to pay or not,” the 45-year-old career military man said.
Source: BFM TV
