Today is the fourth anniversary of the full-scale war. A moment that forever divided the lives of Ukrainians into “before” and “after”. From the very beginning of the invasion, the enemy tried to leave our country in information isolation. Starlink became a real salvation for Ukraine. A technology that has undergone a rapid evolution over these four years from a “Western development” to an indispensable tool.
The Ukrainian experience is unique: we adapted SpaceX technology to our reality.
In this article, we will recall where it all began, how it influenced the emergence of Adaptis , and how in four years Starlink has become a full-fledged element of modern weapons.
The first Starlink terminals in Ukraine
The story of Starlink in Ukraine began exactly 4 years ago, with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a cyberattack on the KA-SAT GEO ViaSat satellite network used by the Ukrainian military. This became a powerful precedent that the war that is going on in Ukraine today is technological, and stable communication is as necessary as, for example, missiles. And, if it didn't sound like it, we can say that this is what to some extent accelerated the appearance of Starlink in Ukraine. A few days later, on February 26 at 4:06, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation (from January 2026 the Minister of Defense of Ukraine) Mykhailo Fedorov published a post in X, where he appealed to Elon Musk to activate the Starlink service in our country. The reaction of the SpaceX founder was quick: on February 27, Ukraine received access to the network, and the next day the first batch of terminals was delivered to the country.
Later, in April 2022, information appeared that the company Starlink Ukraine was registered in Ukraine as the official representative office of SpaceX.
"At the very beginning of the war, I asked Elon Musk to provide Ukraine with Starlink. The very next day we received a positive response from him, and a week later the first 500 Starlink stations with free firmware for Ukraine were in our warehouse," Fedorov wrote in the post. "Today, more than 10,000 stations help to stay connected and support the work of critical energy and telecommunications facilities, healthcare facilities, and even the sowing campaign, as well as bring deoccupied territories back to life."
As of now, there are approximately 150 thousand Starlink terminals in Ukraine, and most of them work for the needs of volunteer organizations, businesses and private users. Today, Ukraine is one of the countries in Europe that most actively uses SpaceX technologies. But behind the rapid spread of terminals lies another side - the problem of their adaptation to the harsh realities of war. It is precisely because of such a practical need that the history of the Adaptis company was born.
The company’s co-founder and CEO, Anton Sadikov, recalls that it all started three years ago as a direct response to a request from the volunteer organization World Central Kitchen. As part of this team, he worked in front-line areas, where hot food and groceries were as much a necessity as the opportunity to simply hear the voices of loved ones.
"Then the task arose to find a solution (ed. – adapt Starlink for cars) in a short time that would provide satellite communication for the organization's eight teams in different regions. I agreed to lead the project, although I had only theoretical knowledge about Starlink ," recalls Anton.
Early generation terminals were bulky, so they were very noticeable on a car.
The situation was also complicated by the fact that the prices for equipment at that time were “biting”, and foreign analogues would have to be waited for months. Therefore, Anton took the initiative into his own hands: he himself figured out the technical nuances and found a contractor – “Mart-Group”, which was able to implement his idea. This is how the second co-founder and co-owner of Adaptis, Mykola Kalinichenko, joined the project.
Over time, it became clear that the development was in demand not only among humanitarian missions - a significant request also came from the military.
“When Adaptis was being created, at that time the question was not that it (ed. – Starlink) was bulky – we were not thinking about using it for civilians, but for the military. At that time, we looked to make sure it was waterproof, that it was impact-resistant, for example, from debris. At that time, we didn’t pay attention to its weight or size, because we understood that people would put it on military equipment,” explained Adaptis co-founder Mykola Kalinichenko.
The success of the first kits created for World Central Kitchen and the front line eventually pushed the team to turn the volunteer project into a full-fledged business.
Starlink in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war
Already in the first days of the war, Starlink showed its effectiveness, because it is a high-speed and stable connection that continues to work even despite the work of enemy electronic warfare. In addition, this equipment is difficult to disable. In particular, due to the fact that the Starlink system is a constellation of thousands of satellites that connect not only to ground stations, but also directly to each other. If suddenly one of the satellites fails, its work is instantly compensated by other devices.
The appearance of Starlink in Ukraine has opened up more opportunities for our military on the battlefield.
“Starlink was really created for civilian use, but today it is fully used by the military. That is, it has become such a tool, as you can say, part of a weapon. Well, it is also a weapon. Perhaps when Starlink was created, no one thought about using it in motion, because then it was mainly a stationary device… It remained that way, but, for example, we started using it in motion, because we noticed that it can be used like that and there are no restrictions ,” Mykola shared.
In particular, at the beginning, using this technology, our military could adjust artillery fire or, for example, control operations from headquarters. However, later the technology began to be adapted even more to the conditions of war. So, with the advent of the first Starlink kits, Ukrainian engineers tried to attach terminals to drones. This made it possible to control UAVs at considerable distances. Then they began to attach them to naval drones, as a result of which it was possible to unblock the Black Sea, so that the enemy fleet now avoids leaving the ports. Then, by the way, one of the situations occurred that showed that, despite the fact that the development shows its effectiveness, it remains dependent on external factors. In September 2023, information appeared that Elon Musk allegedly turned off the Starlink connection near the coast of Crimea in order to thwart an attack on the Russian Navy. To which the billionaire stated that he did not turn it off for drones, but refused to turn it on there at Ukraine's request because he did not want his company to be an accomplice in the war.
However, despite this, our developers continue to integrate technology and expand capabilities for the military, while showing success.
Along with the fact that Starlink began operating in Ukraine, its shortcomings also appeared. The fact is that the service is available within the administrative borders of our country, including in the occupied territories and Crimea. The Russians saw how effectively Ukrainian developments work and realized that they could also use it, because it is territorially accessible to them. The first use of Starlink by the occupiers was recorded in 2024, and these were isolated cases. The situation changed in January 2026, when it grew into a more massive story. In particular, the enemy began to mount Starlink on their UAVs, which made it easier for them to bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare and attack targets at a long distance with greater accuracy. However, the joy of the occupiers did not last long, because Ukraine quickly responded to such actions. The Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, together with SpaceX, began joint work to deprive the Russians of this tool. At first, it all started with a speed limit: the terminals simply stopped working at a speed of 75 km/h. And then, on February 3, the verification process began in Ukraine. Now, in order to use the Starlink connection, it is necessary to confirm that the terminal belongs to a Ukrainian. This step quickly isolated the Russians from high-speed communication, and the result is already there, because now the entire front is on the enemy's side.
We recommend reading our material for more details about the implementation of "whitelists".
Conclusion
Over these four years, Starlink has become an integral part both in the rear and on the front lines. What began as an emergency way to stay connected in the early days of a full-scale invasion has turned into an entire system. This experience proves the main thing: technology itself is just a tool. The real power of Starlink in Ukraine was revealed in the synergy of Elon Musk's developments and the ingenuity of our engineers and military. We did not just adapt civilian development to the harsh realities of war - we made it part of our resistance.
Thank you to every defender who holds our front and proves every day that behind every technology are, first and foremost, people who fight for our freedom.
Glory to Ukraine!
