Elon Musk said his company SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service had been activated in Ukraine, whose internet has been disrupted due to the Russian invasion.

The tech billionaire made the announcement on Twitter in response to a tweet by a Ukrainian government official saying that while Musk tries to "colonize Mars," Russia is trying to occupy Ukraine. The minister called on Musk to provide his country with Starlink stations.

"@elonmusk, while you try to colonize Mars – Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space – Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people!" Ukraine’s vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, tweeted.

In his response Saturday, Musk said: "Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route."

Internet connectivity in Ukraine has been affected by the Russian invasion, particularly in the southern and eastern parts of the country where fighting has been heaviest, internet monitors said on Saturday.

Starlink is a satellite-based internet system that SpaceX has been building for years to bring internet access to underserved areas of the world. It markets itself as "ideally suited" for areas where internet service is unreliable or unavailable.

While extremely costly to deploy, satellite technology can provide internet for people who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fiber optic cables and cell towers do not reach. The technology can also be a critical backstop when hurricanes or other natural disasters disrupt communication.

Musk said on Jan. 15 that SpaceX had 1,469 Starlink satellites active and 272 moving to operational orbits soon.