Budanov: Ukraine urgently needs wider Starlink and Starshield coverage to strike Russian missile launchers
Ukraine's presidential office chief Kyrylo Budanov says current Starlink and Starshield access is insufficient and that Kyiv urgently needs wider coverage to strike the Russian missile systems terrorising its civilians — plus more Patriot interceptor missiles.
Ukraine urgently needs expanded access to Starlink and Starshield satellite capabilities to strike the Russian missile systems launching attacks on its territory, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, has said.
“We are extremely interested in the capabilities provided by Starlink / Starshield. We urgently need these capabilities to repel attacks and strike Russian missile systems from which missiles are launched that terrorise Ukraine’s civilian population,” Budanov said in an interview with NewsForce.
“We need enhanced capabilities — we need wider coverage,” he stressed, saying Ukraine’s current access is insufficient. Budanov added that Kyiv critically needs more missiles for its Patriot air defence systems.
Ukraine currently has Starlink access only on its own territory, while SpaceX has restricted the network’s operation inside Russia. Kyiv wants satellite connectivity to support long-range drones targeting Russian ballistic missile launchers, command posts and military infrastructure up to 200 km from the border.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the Starlink question again with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, after attempts in July and August to win US and Musk backing — which The Atlantic reported Elon Musk refused over escalation concerns, while Trump told Kyiv to speak to Musk directly. Budanov’s intervention follows Finnish president Alexander Stubb’s appeal to Musk on the same point, made at UNGA on Thursday.
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