As the Starshield issue, which began during the conflict between President Trump and President Zelensky, continues, Ukraine plans to partner with a Finnish company.
Published October 23, 2026
Ukraine has announced plans to build an independent satellite communications system amid reported continuing problems affecting the US-operated StarShield system.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Friday that his country had agreed to partner with a Finnish company to develop the system. On the same day, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense complained of lingering problems in Starshield’s military service.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that tech mogul Elon Musk has restored access to satellite internet services that play a key role in Kiev’s war effort and air defense.
In recent months, Ukraine has been exploring military defense options amid escalating Russian attacks and growing questions about the Trump administration’s support.
President Zelensky reported on Friday that he had agreed with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orupo that “(Ukraine) will make greater use of Finland’s satellite capabilities. This is important for our defense and for Ukraine’s resilience.”
“We have agreed on this with Nokia and ICEYE. We appreciate their willingness to support our country’s logistics and energy sectors. These are important goals for Russia at this time,” Zelenskiy added.
The Finnish company signed a letter of intent with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense during Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Olpo’s visit to Kiev on Thursday, DPA news agency reported.
ICEYE CEO Rafal Modoshevsky said in a statement that Ukraine needs a secure satellite communications system under its own control. The company said its satellites provide reconnaissance data regardless of weather or time of day.
On October 13, Ukrainian authorities announced that sudden restrictions on Starlink’s services had caused military turmoil in the country. The system is back online, but connectivity remains unstable.
Questions remain about where the decision to restrict access came from, with Musk and Trump administration officials exchanging accusations. The restrictions come amid a deepening feud between Trump and Zelensky, with Trump seeking to meet with Putin instead.
A Ukrainian Defense Ministry official told reporters on Friday that “cases of signal loss are still being observed” regarding StarShield, the military component of Musk’s Starlink system.
The role of this system has become increasingly central to Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
The four-and-a-half year war was dominated by drone warfare. Ukraine recently launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of the largest airstrikes of the war on Kiev, but StarShield is also key to its defense as Russia rains bombs on Kiev and other parts of Ukraine every day.
