Illia, the 17-Year-Old Student Who Helps the Ukrainian Army
Originally from Ukraine, Illia Sytnyk is a 17-year-old student, currently based in České Budějovice. Driven out of his country by war, he came to the Czech Republic with no money and no solid connections. Today, he helps out the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people through his work with Starlink technology. “Yeah, I came a year ago because of the war. Nobody really knew what was going on or where to go. So, my mom and I came to the Czech Republic, but we really had no idea where we were going or what we were doing,” says Illia. Upon arriving in the Czech Republic, Illia realized the problem of connectivity among Ukrainian people, due to frequent electricity shortages and limited Internet access. But he quickly discovered a potential solution – Starlink satellites. Starlink is an Internet satellite constellation owned by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX. A kit consists of an antenna dish, a set-up base, cables, and a rooter. Once installed, the weather-resistant antenna dish picks up on the signal from the satellites placed in low Earth orbit, thus enabling satellite-based Internet connectivity to places that have limited or no Internet access – the kind of connectivity needed in the blackout-stricken Ukraine. “Starlink technology can play a strategic role in the...