Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded tech billionaire Elon Musk the Order of Freedom, one of Ukraine’s most prestigious state honours, months after the SpaceX founder worked with Kyiv to block Russia’s illegal use of Starlink — a move that disrupted Moscow’s battlefield communications and helped slow the Russian advance.
The decree, published on Ukraine's presidential website on Wednesday, cited Musk’s “outstanding personal merits in protecting human life and freedom” and his contribution to relations between Ukraine and the US.
The award marks a striking turn in the complicated relationship between Musk, Ukraine and the country’s leadership, as Kyiv is critically dependent on his satellite technology amid repeated disagreements over the war and Musk’s increasingly sharp criticism of Zelenskyy.
Musk's Starlink has been crucial to Ukraine since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, providing communications for civilians, government institutions and the military after conventional networks were damaged or destroyed.
Musk activated the service over Ukraine in February 2022 after an appeal from then-Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
