Poland to give Ukraine more Starlink terminals

The Polish government is significantly increasing its support for Ukraine by providing an additional 5,000 Starlink terminals, as reported by Puls Biznesu, citing Polish Minister of Digitization Krzysztof Gawkowski.

Poland has already supplied Ukraine with 24,400 Starlink terminals, manufactured by SpaceX, by the end of 2024.

These terminals are crucial for maintaining communication on the frontlines for the Ukrainian army.

The new batch, ordered in November, is gradually being delivered to Ukraine.

While Poland technically loans these terminals to Ukraine to avoid complications such as tax issues, it is unlikely they will ever be returned.

The terminals are activated and deactivated as needed by the Ukrainian side, with approximately 300 having been destroyed in combat.

Poland's contribution is vital, as it has provided half of all Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine.

"Poland has been supplying the Internet to Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian army for many months. Thanks to Starlink, the tasks that allow us to hold the frontline are being fulfilled," Gawkowski said.

The cost of maintaining and purchasing new terminals amounted to 120.66 million zlotys ($30.6 million) in 2024, with an expected cost of 186.8 million zlotys ($47.3 million) in 2025.

Despite reports from Reuters suggesting that the U.S. administration threatened to cut off Starlink services to pressure Ukraine over mineral resources, Gawkowski assured that Poland would continue to fund Starlink for Ukraine. Elon Musk also denied these claims, although Reuters stands by its reporting.

Previously, Musk had prevented the use of Starlink in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian naval forces in Crimea.