Conflict · Ukraine · ArchiveZelenskyy Shows 1,400km Russian Strikes, Asks Trump to Help Unlock Starlink for MoreAired August 2, 2026 at 2:43 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Volodymyr Zelensky has released images0:02of Ukrainian drone strikes hitting0:04Russian territory, a cargo ship and an0:06oil refinery some 1,400 km from the0:09front lines. And he is in Washington0:11right now asking for the tool that could0:13make more strikes possible, expanded0:16access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite0:18network. The images document a campaign0:20that is already reaching far beyond the0:22battlefield. The refinery strike posted0:24by Zelensky hit about 1,400 km from0:27Ukraine's front lines. Channel 4 news0:30reports that Zelensky is in Washington0:32lobbying members of Congress and the US0:34president for permission to use Starlink0:36in long-range strikes deep into Russia.0:38Zelensky is asking Congress and0:40President Trump to help secure Musk's0:42approval. According to the Atlantic and0:44SFGate, during a July 28th Oval Office0:47meeting, Zelensky directly asked Trump0:50to help get Musk to lift the0:51restriction. Trump did not commit. Musk0:53currently allows Starlink use within0:55Ukraine and Russian-occupied areas, but0:57has geofenced the network to block0:59connectivity inside Russia itself.1:01Zelensky wants that geofence removed for1:03strike operations. The request is not to1:05replace the ongoing campaign. The1:07refinery strike proves Ukraine can reach1:091,400 km without Starlink, but to make1:12it more precise, reliable, and scalable.1:14With Starlink, artillery fire control1:16time drops from half an hour to minutes,1:18and drone pilots can control strikes in1:20real time. Denied inside Russia, those1:22advantages stop at the border. What1:24remains unresolved is whether Trump will1:25apply pressure on Musk, whether Musk1:28will relent, and whether the images1:30Zelensky posted this week become the1:31baseline of a campaign he can sustain1:33without the connectivity he is asking1:35for or the ceiling of one he cannot.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗