Ukrainian president says Kyiv is testing a satellite communications project with a European partner

Ukraine and Russia are developing alternatives to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications system, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as both sides seek greater independence from a system widely used in battlefield communications.

Zelensky said Russia was developing a Starlink-like system in cooperation with China and expected the project to be ready by December 2026.

Ukraine, he said, was also developing a similar capability with a European country and had already begun testing it.

“We will not just sit and wait for Russia and China,” Zelensky said in remarks made public on Sunday.

Starlink has played an important role in Ukraine’s military communications since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Musk has changed his position on Ukraine several times, while access to the system remains ultimately controlled by his company.

Zelensky said Ukraine was seeking permission from Musk and the US administration to use Starlink coverage for operations inside Russian territory.

He said Musk viewed such coverage as a potential escalation, while Kyiv believed it could help reduce Russia’s ability to sustain the conflict.

Zelensky also said Ukraine was seeking to target Russian ballistic missile launchers as Moscow increases its use of ballistic missiles.

He said Ukraine’s supply of Patriot interceptor missiles had declined from 675 in 2023 to 364 in 2025 and 264 in 2026.

With fewer anti-ballistic missiles available, Zelensky said Ukraine was exploring other tactics, including targeting locations near the launch sites of Russian ballistic missiles.