Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has awarded Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, a freedom medal. Kyiv cited Starlink satellite communications' contribution to maintaining connectivity during the war.

According to local reporting, Ukraine has also asked that Starlink coverage be extended up to 200km inside Russian territory — read as an effort to secure reliable communications for long-range drone operations and reconnaissance.

Starlink is a network of thousands of low-Earth-orbit satellites. Because it works where ground stations have been destroyed, it has been used by Ukrainian forces and civilian infrastructure since the early stages of the war.

That a private company decides the scope and conditions of service has been contentious. Reports have previously described service limits in particular areas affecting operational plans, prompting governments to examine reducing military reliance on commercial providers.

European states are pursuing their own low-orbit networks, and China is advancing a separate large-scale satellite communications programme. Communications infrastructure is increasingly treated as a security asset.

Whether Musk has accepted the request had not been officially confirmed as of the morning of Aug. 27.