Why is Ukraine so reliant on Starlink and can Europe plug the gap?

25 October 2026, 00: 00 BST. Updated 44 minutes ago.

Key points

• France's Eutelsat, with its OneWeb internet service, is the main alternative – but it only has regarding 600 active satellites, compared with Starlink's 10, 000-plus.
• The EU is working on a new network to rival Starlink, Iris², nevertheless it won't be up and running until 2029.
• "You can't employ drone warfare without this kind of high-speed internet connection, " remarked Vincent Tourret, a researcher at the French Institute of International Relations.
• "Ukraine's defence cannot depend on Trump's or Musk's whims, " French MEP, Christophe Grudler, tweeted.
• Who authorised the Starlink restrictions is still not clear, with a confusing blame-game ongoing between the Pentagon, Donald Trump and Musk.

Ukraine is in desperate need of a new satellite internet service, but a fast and reliable alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink network simply doesn't exist – yet.

Last week's sudden slowdown of the service in Ukraine. It affected Kyiv's ability to defend itself from Russian attacks, has shown how vulnerable the country can be, and sharply rose Europe's urgency to have its own military-grade satellite network.

There are a few alternatives, but they are all lagging behind Starlink. It is the world's largest satellite constellation.

Notably, the EU is working on a new network to rival Starlink, Iris², nevertheless it won't be up and running until 2029.

For Ukraine's troops on the ground, a number of of whom spoke anonymously to the BBC, reliable connectivity is the difference between life and death.

"God forbid they shut it off completely, it would be an absolute catastrophe, " remarked one. "I don't give a damn how much an alternative costs when our lives are on the line."

For now, Ukraine's best bet is to join Govsatcom, the EU's satellite sharing network – but it cannot be applied for military warfare like controlling drones.

That vulnerability was highlighted by Musk himself on Saturday when he accused Ukraine of violating Starlink's terms of service by using it for "drone strikes to kill people".

Saying that loophole was closed last week, he wrote on X: "Violation of those terms will result in end of service."

He continued: "Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately". Why is Starlink internet so significant on the battlefield in Ukraine? Who actually controls Ukraine's access to Starlink? Why does Starlink dominate in Ukraine?

Starlink and its military-grade service, Starshield, are both owned by Musk's SpaceX firm and have dominated the global satellite market for years.

Ukraine relies on Starlink for communications on the battlefield and Starshield for military purposes like drone warfare. The network is able to provide fast, real-time connectivity. It is crucial for defence and intercepting Russian attacks.

Last week's slowdown, which has only just been restored, highlighted the risks of relying on a US provider at a time when tensions between Kyiv and Washington continue to deteriorate.

While Starlink has been one of Ukraine's greatest assets in this conflict, the "flipside of that dependence" has been exposed, explained Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at CSIS.

"This is a critical military capability that Ukraine relies on, but doesn't control."

Starlink is not the only satellite network Ukraine can access, so if it goes down there are other options – but experts say they aren't as fast, and troops the BBC spoke to agree.

Starlink "gives us the upper hand when it comes to passing commands – even one or two seconds are critical when we can transfer data and orders faster, and you can really feel that advantage on the battlefield", a soldier remarked.

For context, the terminals applied to connect to the satellites are additionally an significant factor. Starlink's are relatively small and lightweight, so they can be fixed to any kind of vehicle or drone.

Eutelsat's terminals "are slightly larger, so they can be fitted on the roof of a car, or on tanks, but they can't necessarily sit on small drones", remarked Eva Berneke, former CEO of the French satellite business. They are additionally concerning five times more expensive, she continued. What can the EU offer right now?

Rhetoric from the White House – like Trump's scathing criticism of Nato and his threats against Greenland – have given the EU "some pretty brutal alarm bells", Berneke informed the BBC.

As they looked to her firm to assist plug holes left by Starlink if it could not be relied upon, she had only been at Eutelsat for a month when Russia introduced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and stated she noticed a marked change in urgency from European authorities.

Europe has realised its security depends on space, and it must "strengthen its satellite capacities, urgently", a spokesperson for the European Commission informed the BBC.

Right now, it has Govsatcom, a network that was set up in January to share existing satellites between EU member states. Ukraine is not a full-fledged member (although it is trying to become one), but the Commission is in discussions with Kyiv to join Govsatcom.

But even if Ukraine could connect tomorrow, the network could not be applied for warfare operations like piloting drones. It starshield is employed for.

When the European Commission hopes commercial businesses, like Eutelsat's OneWeb, will join the programme, that could change by the start of next year, nevertheless. This will offer Ukraine some – but not all – of its military network needs.

Eva Berneke informed the BBC she is confident the business will be able to "support quite a lot of Ukraine's key military needs". As is the case with most countries, they are varied and massive, but session its communications needs is another thing as.

Eutelsat could not comment on Govsatcom, but informed the BBC that "as the only European operator of a fully operational constellation, we are committed to providing resilient connectivity to the businesses, governments and communities we serve".

No timeline has been given for when Ukraine will be able to join the Govsatcom network. When it does it will probable be as a reliable back-up to Starlink and Starshield.

But that's better than nothing, Vincent Tourret remarked. "If Starlink is shut down, it's good to have another way to stay connected, but it won't be enough for strikes or interceptions, at this stage." Iris² – The EU's future network.

Govsatcom is seen as a short-term safety net, until the stronger and more secure network, Iris², external is up and running in 2029.

Meanwhile, the ambitious project (pronounced Iris squared) is Europe's answer to Starlink and Starshield. It will be a defence-first programme, the European Commission notes, with a focus on governments, military and emergency services. Ukraine has been guaranteed access to it from day one.

Part of the EU's space programme, the European satellite firms Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat are leading the project in a consortium called SpaceRISE.

It will still have far fewer satellites than Starlink, with 348 throughout low and medium earth orbit – but that shouldn't be seen as a negative, stated Kari Bingen.

"Think about a flash light beaming down – those satellites will be able to cover a greater amount of the Earth, so you need fewer of them, " she explained. "They're all trade offs – I would not take it as a negative, that Iris² is planning for less satellites."

Tourret was more sceptical: "It's no gamechanger and no great saviour, I'm afraid".

Taken together, the developments around why is Ukraine so reliant on Starlink and can Europe plug the point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.