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Ukraine and Russia are both working on alternatives to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system, which has become important for battlefield communications, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in remarks made public Sunday.
Zelenskyy said Russia was developing a Starlink equivalent with China and expected the project to be ready by December 2026.
“The Russians are building a Starlink equivalent together with the Chinese, and they believe they will have this project ready by December 2026,” he said.
Ukraine, meanwhile, is working with a European country on a similar system and has already begun testing it.
“We will not just sit and wait for Russia and China,” Zelenskyy said.
Musk restricted Russian access to Starlink last year over the Ukraine war, a move experts say likely disrupted Russian tactical command and limited offensive capabilities.
Ukraine is seeking authorization from Musk and the U.S. administration to use Starlink satellites for operations inside Russian territory.
Zelenskyy said Musk considers extending Starlink coverage over Russia an escalation, while Kyiv argues that doing so could help shorten the war.
“This really could lead to a reduction precisely in those capabilities that Russia uses to drag out the war,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s contacts with Musk were reportedly handled by former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was recently dismissed.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is trying to strike Russian ballistic missile launchers as Moscow increases its use of the weapons.
He said ballistic missiles can effectively be intercepted only by U.S.-designed Patriot systems, while Ukraine’s supply of Patriot missiles has declined.
Ukraine received 675 Patriot missiles in 2023, compared with 364 in 2025 and 264 in 2026, according to Zelenskyy.
“When our anti-ballistic missiles are minimized—here is another tactic ... hunting their nearby locations from which ballistic missiles are launched,” he said.
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