Finland’s president calls on Musk to expand Ukraine’s use of Starlink to target Russian missile facilities

The Ukrainian-Russian war that has lasted for more than four years is about to enter another winter. Ukraine's allies are worried that Russia's air strikes targeting energy and power facilities will make it difficult for Ukraine to survive in the winter. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who firmly supports Kyiv and has a harmonious relationship with US President Trump, implored Musk, the CEO of the space exploration technology company "SpaceX", to expand Ukraine's use of the satellite service "Starlink" developed by the company to attack ballistic missile launch facilities in Russia.

After Russia launched its aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Musk opened Starlink services for Ukraine, which became an important communication and drone operation channel for the Ukrainian army on the local battlefield.

Stubb, who attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York, told Reuters on the 24th that for strategic considerations, ballistic missile launchers could be targeted if Ukraine's Starlink was extended to Russian territory. Therefore, he implored Musk to consider expanding the Starlink communication range to the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine or Russia. "This can save many lives."

Moscow has recently been heavily bombarding Ukraine with jet drones and ballistic missiles. The only anti-aircraft weapon Kyiv can defend against, the Patriot missile system, is severely depleted. Stubb admitted that facing the coming winter, the war still showed no sign of ending. Therefore, Ukraine needs to be prepared on three major issues: air defense capabilities, energy facilities and funding, and allies are also working hard to promote winter assistance measures.