SkyCommons Observatory

Prototype

Ukraine

Population 40 million · 5 million+ Starlink users

Concern

Moderate

Providers

2 Operational / 3 Authorized

Latest update: March 2026

Summary

Within days of a military invasion by Russia in 2022, Starlink was deployed under emergency authorization. Today, LEO satellites serve as the national connectivity backbone, with over 160,000 terminals across the country, approximately 100,000 of them military. The same terminals used for drone operations and to support military command-and-control also provide internet access to schools, hospitals, and civilian households. This dual-use function emerged from necessity—and Starlink now counts over 5 million users.

The high dependency on a single foreign operator owned by Space X has had consequences for regional access and military operations in an active war. There are a few other operational providers for military and government use. Now, Ukraine is investing in a sovereign satellite—UASAT LEO—planned for launch in October 2026 at an estimated cost of $634 million.

Timeline

Research highlights

We worked with local researchers who produced analyses of the ecosystem for LEO satellites in their countries. These are highlights from their findings.

Overall level of concern

Moderate

Competition

Concern High

Operational

Starlink
OneWeb (military+government)

Authorised

UASAT LEO (planned)

Starlink is Ukraine's dominant LEO provider by a large margin with over 160,000 terminals (approximately 100,000 of them military). Eutelsat OneWeb has been operational in Ukraine for government use only since 2025 with backing from Germany through intergovernmental defence cooperation channels. Denmark has also provided satellite services via the European Defence Agency for a small (unspecified) number of military units. To address concerns of sovereignty, Ukraine is investing in its own satellite—UASAT LEO—expected to launch in October 2026 at an estimated cost of $634 million (operated by Stetman).

Affordability

Concern Low

Starlink subscription

$25-95 / per month

Starlink hardware cost

$600-700

Hardware and subscription costs for Starlink connections have been substantially absorbed through donor-funded terminals (Poland alone contributed nearly 30,000), a temporary customs and VAT exemption (2022-2023), and a citizen-funded "People's Starlink" movement. But for anyone outside these channels, the price is steep. Hardware costs were in the range of $600–700 through 2025. Subscription price dropped in July 2026 to $25-95 /month depending on speed and data amounts. It is around 2.5 times the cost of a typical mobile internet connection and still unaffordable for many.

Accessibility

Concern Low

Population

40 million

Starlink users

5 million +

Ukraine once had strong connectivity, with over 90% 4G coverage across settlements and fast fixed broadband in urban areas. Russia's invasion in 2022 damaged fiber routes, power systems, and mobile towers across the country, creating connectivity blackouts in areas that previously had reliable service. In cities, LEO terminals operate as backup infrastructure during power outages and network disruptions. In frontline communities, such as schools, hospitals, rural areas—where mobile networks fail—they are the primary connection points. In Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea, Starlink blocks access with geofencing. Communities under occupation have zero access.

Governance

Concern Moderate

No public consultations have been held on any LEO initiative.

Given the wartime context, governance of LEO satellites has operated mostly outside normal regulatory channels. The terminals serve both military operations and civilian life. There is no regulatory framework built for either. Authorisation began under emergency conditions, and martial law has kept most of it unpublished ever since. This leaves civilian users with no oversight and military users with no formal accountability structure either. Starlink's deployment began on February 26, 2022, with a public tweet from Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation to Elon Musk, Starlink’s owner. Since February 2026, all Starlink terminals must be registered with the government to prevent misuse by Russian forces.

Accountability

Concern High

Authorization terms for Starlink and the country's other satellite arrangements remain largely unpublished. Civil society organizations are actively calling for mandatory publication of authorizations and technical annexes within a fixed timeframe — a reform that has not yet materialized. Civilian users have no local regulatory channel for complaints. They rely on Starlink's own global support system, which is a private, extraterritorial mechanism with no Ukrainian accountability framework attached. There are no published quality-of-service standards, no cybersecurity audit requirements, and no coverage mandates specific to satellite operators. Civil society has also called for a structured requirement for resilience diversification across multiple providers.

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