Photo: Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (screenshot from video) Author: Vladimir Kostyrin
Poland plans to soon transfer a new batch of Starlink satellite internet systems to Ukraine. We are talking about five thousand terminals that could arrive to the Ukrainian side “in the coming weeks and months.”
This was stated by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs of Poland Krzysztof Gawkowski, RBC-Ukraine reports with reference to TVN24.
The Polish official noted that official Warsaw “supports the Internet in Ukraine today” and pays a subscription fee for such Starlink terminals. This is how he commented on the information in the press that the owner of the Starlink network from SpaceX, Elon Musk, could allegedly disconnect Ukraine from such satellite Internet.
“Poland claims this, Poland acquired Starlinks and transferred them to Ukraine. Poland creates security because it pays the subscription fee. I can't imagine any American corporation breaking such contracts,” Gavkovsky said.
He also said that on Saturday he spoke with the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
Gavkovsky reported that the Polish Ministry of Digital Development has decided to transfer additional Starlinks to Ukraine.
“We are ordering another five thousand Starlinks, they have already been partially paid for and will be sent to Ukraine in the coming weeks and months,” the Polish Deputy Prime Minister assured.
He recalled that 25,000 Starlinks are already operating in Ukraine. He added that Poland is “the largest donor to Ukraine's security in Europe.”
Starlink kits are mobile routers that provide access to satellite internet. About 85% of the 20,000 terminals operating in Ukraine are fully or partially funded by external sources, including the governments of the United States, Great Britain, and Poland.
Rumors about the possibility of blocking Starlink for Ukraine
Recall that last week Reuters wrote that US negotiators were putting pressure on Ukraine, demanding that Kyiv provide access to strategically important mineral resources. According to Western media, during negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities, the American side raised the issue of possibly disconnecting the country from Starlink.
As the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kovalenko noted, in response to such rumors, Ukraine does not turn off the Starlink satellite Internet.
At the same time, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov noted that Ukraine has alternatives in the event of the Starlink system being shut down.
Recently, Poland also responded to media reports about alleged threats to shut down Starlinks, expressing bewilderment. Polish Minister for Digitalization Krzysztof Gawkowski noted that it was Poland that purchased Starlink for Ukraine, and it is their country that pays for satellite Internet. In addition, official Warsaw concluded an agreement.
Let us add that on February 22, American billionaire Elon Musk denied a Western media report that the US was allegedly threatening Ukraine to turn off Starlink.
And on February 23, during a press conference, answering a question from RBC-Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the US had not voiced any threats to Ukraine about the possibility of blocking Starlink. However, the Ukrainian side must be prepared for such a scenario.
On February 25, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said that official Warsaw would provide more Starlink terminals to support Ukraine, but did not specify the number.
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