Zelensky awards Musk Order of Freedom as Ukraine seeks Starlink use

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk one of the country's highest state honors on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, even as Kyiv seeks his approval to expand the use of his Starlink satellite system for strikes deep inside Russia. The decree, published on the presidential website, bestowed the Order of Freedom on Musk for "outstanding personal contributions to protecting human life and freedom, and for developing relations between the peoples of Ukraine and the United States of America." The recognition highlights the critical, yet complicated, role Musk's SpaceX has played in the war.