Zelenskyy honours Elon Musk with Order of Freedom for Starlink role

Kyiv,UPDATED: Aug 26, 2026 17:58 IST

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday awarded Elon Musk the Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine's highest state honours, for what a presidential decree described as his "outstanding personal merits" in protecting human life and freedom and strengthening ties between Ukraine and the United States.

The award recognises Musk's role in Ukraine's war effort through Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet network, which has become a crucial communications lifeline for both the military and civilians since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. At the same time, Starlink's central role has made Musk one of the most influential and contentious private sector figures in the conflict. There was no immediate comment from Musk on the award.

Starlink is now deeply embedded in Ukraine's military operations, with commanders and soldiers using the satellite system to communicate and coordinate operations. The technology has also been integrated into drone operations, helping operators stay connected to drones and guide them over longer distances.

Ukraine's access to Starlink has been cited as the main reason its drone campaign recorded early successes earlier this year, catching Russian forces off guard and disrupting logistics lines. Musk has allowed Ukrainians to use Starlink inside their own territory, including Ukrainian regions occupied by Russian forces, but has restricted use of the system inside Russia.

SpaceX's decision earlier this year to accept Kyiv's requests and block unauthorised Starlink terminals being used by Russian forces in occupied territory also strengthened Ukraine's position. The campaign has put pressure on Russian logistics in Crimea and given Ukrainian forces some battlefield momentum not seen since the counteroffensives around Kherson and Kharkiv in late 2022.

But that dependence has also created concern in Kyiv, as Musk's decisions can directly affect Ukraine's military capabilities. Zelenskyy is hoping Musk will reconsider allowing Starlink to operate over Russian territory so Ukrainian forces can maintain satellite connectivity for longer-range drone attacks on Russia's military and economic infrastructure. Zelenskyy said last week that he had sought US help in persuading Musk, who believes this would be a "significant and dangerous escalation".

Musk's influence has also reached Ukrainian politics. A reported mix-up over whether SpaceX had approved Ukraine's use of Starlink for operations inside Russia added to tensions between Zelenskyy and then Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was the government's main interlocutor with Musk. Zelenskyy said inaccurate information from the Defence Ministry that SpaceX had approved the bid contributed to an awkward exchange with US President Donald Trump, who accused him of "deceiving him", though he did not say when that happened.

Zelenskyy told reporters last week that this contributed to "some of the steps" taken against Fedorov, without directly accusing him of deliberately providing false information. Fedorov was dismissed in July as part of a broader government reshuffle, underlining the political dimension of Musk's role in Ukraine's war effort as Starlink remains central to the country's communications and military operations.

With PTI Inputs

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