As Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukraine's energy grid and communications networks, Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov told Newsmax on Wednesday his company has taken a historic step to keep Ukrainians connected — launching Europe's first direct-to-cell satellite service through a new partnership with SpaceX's Starlink.
Appearing on "National Report," Komarov detailed how Kyivstar — Ukraine's largest telecom provider — is now delivering satellite-based cell connectivity to more than 20 million customers, at no additional cost, using Starlink's new "Direct to Cell" technology.
"Kyivstar is the biggest digital service provider in Ukraine," Komarov said. "We provide mobile and fixed broadband services to more than 20 million customers. And just yesterday we launched direct-to-cell services for all Ukrainians with an LTE smartphone and Kyivstar SIM card — without extra charge."
Komarov said the move is designed to guarantee that Ukrainians retain access to communication even during prolonged blackouts, Russian strikes on the power grid, and emergency operations, where ground-based networks can fail or become inaccessible.
"We want to be sure our customers can use their smartphones and stay connected during blackouts and emergency situations, and across territories not covered by operators during rescue and humanitarian missions," he said. "This is the first such cooperation agreement and the first launch of direct-to-cell services in Europe."
Komarov pulled no punches about the severity of the threat facing Ukrainian telecom networks.
"The biggest obstacle is the safety and durability of our infrastructure," he said. "The infrastructure is under constant pressure from the Russians. The energy infrastructure is under pressure — and as part of this critical ecosystem, we are suffering, too."
To counter this, Kyivstar has invested over $100 million in hardening and relocating critical network components.
"We increased our redundancy and resilience. Right now, we can run our network without electricity for more than 10 hours, and the core nodes can operate for more than 72 hours," Komarov explained.
"We relocated critical elements deeper into western Ukraine. We are mobilized to provide services to our customers in almost any conditions.
"Direct-to-cell immediately increased our coverage to 100% of the territory of Ukraine," he said. "It provides service independent from terrestrial infrastructure."
Komarov also addressed comments from President Donald Trump noting Russia's demographic advantage in a prolonged conflict.
"Ukraine is almost four years into the war, and we were able to sustain," he said. "We demonstrated an incredible level of resilience and our ability to protect our country and fight for our freedom."
As CEO, Komarov said, Kyivstar's business planning does not assume the war will end during 2026 — and the company stands ready.
"We are prepared to work, to demonstrate resilience, and to support our customers in very, very difficult circumstances," he said.
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