Ukraine has another fear: its drones depend on Elon Musk.

KievDonald Trump's return to the White House has been even more turbulent than expected in Ukraine. The booing of Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, the suspension of US military and intelligence support –now reestablished–, the massive bombings against critical infrastructure, the devastation of nearby front-line towns like Dobropilia, and the Russian offensive to recapture the Kursk region are marking a turning point in the war. The talks in Saudi Arabia, in which Kiev accepted the White House's partial ceasefire proposal, appear to have minimally reestablished the fragile relations between Zelensky and Trump. But last week culminated with a disturbing warning, which worries Ukrainians despite the news coming from Jeddah on Tuesday: Elon Musk stated that "the entire front line" in Ukraine would collapse if Starlink, the communications satellite network he owns, were disconnected.

In Kiev, his words continue to sound like a threat. In Europe as well. Warsaw responded firmly over the weekend: the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded Musk that Poland is funding some of the Starlink terminals used by the Ukrainian forces. But neither the tycoon's insults nor Senator Marco Rubio's accusations of "ingratitude" calmed the uncertainty. SpaceX eventually assured that there would be no interruptions in service, but in Ukraine, no one trusts the Trump team's promises anymore. Now the Armed Forces are looking for alternatives.

The Starlink system, a network of communications satellites for providing global internet access, has been key to ensuring Ukrainian soldiers have internet access at any point on the front lines. This, from a military perspective, has been essential for Kiev's army. But it has also been essential from a personal perspective for those in uniform. For each soldier, the messages that reach their phones via Starlink are relics, words memorized by those still alive.

Before going to the front in Huliaipole, Zaporizhia, Private David – a fictitious name to protect his identity – received a message from his father: "I'm proud of you and I love you very much." He never got around to replying. In the morgueA nurse wept as she showed me a shattered phone screen. Elsewhere on the front lines, a white Starlink terminal had become stuck in a tree in the Kharkiv region. The last sentence transmitted from that satellite from Bakhmut read: "I don't know if I'll survive. There are too many of us connected to Starlink now, so I'll call back later." It never called back.

The Importance of Intelligence

After a brutal winter, Ukrainian troops are now preparing for a new phase marked by uncertainty among their allies. The names of Musk and Trump barely provoke any reaction other than insults or a look of disgust among the soldiers they once trusted.

"We are not a puppet state that will disappear without American aid," maintains Oleksiy Getman, a retired major and military analyst. He explains that NATO AWACS aircraft, which patrol neutral waters, can "see" 300 to 400 kilometers away. This information, combined with satellite data, allows Ukraine to intercept missiles and attack enemy depots. But the temporary suspension of American aid in recent days has made their job terribly complicated. "The attacks on our power grid last week happened because we didn't see the missiles coming," he explains. The intelligence blackout—now resumed—was also noticeable. in the Kursk region, where Russian and North Korean troops are advancing.

Starlink devices have been key to monitoring the advance of enemy troops and projectiles launched from the other side of the front. They have also been used since the beginning of the invasion for attacks. That is, to contact the Ukrainian army's command centers and send coordinates and images captured by drones of enemy targets. Ukraine uses around 100,000 SpaceX terminals. Elon Musk ceded them to Kiev at the beginning of the invasion, after a desperate appeal from the Zelensky government.

European alternatives

"If Musk cuts off Starlink, the only option is to operate drones with fiber optic cables, like the Russians do," warns Oleksiy Getman, a military expert from Kiev. But this alternative has problems: the drones would lose speed and maneuverability, and Russian forces can more easily locate the operator. Maria Berlinska, activist and director of Victory Drones, has urged the Ukrainian military to look for alternatives: "If there is a technical failure lasting a few days or weeks, there would be total chaos. We would lose many lives."

For all these reasons, Ukraine is looking for alternatives in Europe. The European Union is already negotiating with four satellite internet providers to replace Starlink: SES (Luxembourg), Hisdesat (Spain), Viasat (United Kingdom), and Eutelsat/OneWeb (France-United Kingdom).

However, Ihor Lutsenko, commander of a drone unit in Kiev's military, admits that losing Starlink would be a devastating blow, but not the end of the war. He explains that soldiers in the Kursk region are already testing alternatives, although their dependence on Musk remains critical.