Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has awarded American entrepreneur Elon Musk one of the country's highest state honors, the Order of Freedom. The corresponding decree was published on August 26 on the official website of the Ukrainian head of state, reports infohub.kz.
The document notes that the award was given to Musk "for outstanding personal merits in protecting human life and freedom, and in developing relations between the peoples of Ukraine and the United States of America."
As Reuters reports, the ceremony took place amid Kyiv's efforts to expand the use of the Starlink satellite system, which provides communication for Ukrainian troops on the battlefield and is also used to control unmanned aerial vehicles.
Starlink has become a vital communication tool for the Ukrainian army. The system began operating in Ukraine shortly after the start of hostilities in 2022. Since then, satellite internet has become one of the key means of communication for Ukrainian servicemen.
This year, Musk also agreed to disable thousands of Starlink terminals that were used by Russian forces via the so-called "gray market." According to Reuters, this happened at the request of former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was dismissed in July.
Now Kyiv is seeking permission to use Starlink on Russian territory as well. The Ukrainian side hopes to use the system for attacks on military targets, including ballistic missile launchers used to strike Ukrainian cities.
Kyiv is trying to change Musk's position. Zelensky has previously stated that Musk initially opposed expanding Starlink's coverage, considering it a "significant escalation" of the conflict. However, according to the Ukrainian president, Kyiv has recently begun receiving more encouraging signals.
Zelensky argued that using Starlink on Russian territory could reduce Russia's ability to continue the war.
The Order of Freedom is considered one of Ukraine's highest state awards. Over the years, it has been received by former German President Joachim Gauck, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, former U.S. President Joe Biden, and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Earlier, Elon Musk made a frightening statement about the future of humanity. And before that, he named the exact date of the U.S. financial collapse.