September 11, 2023
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, personally ordered the company’s Starlink satellite broadband service to be withheld in parts of Ukraine, scuttling a major offensive operation by the nation against Russia.
According to a biography about Musk, shared with CNN, the billionaire feared that a Ukrainian attack on Russian naval ships near Crimea could lead to a “mini-Pearl Harbor” and a nuclear response from the Kremlin.
The incident also led Musk to deny Ukrainian requests for additional Starlink systems that could be used for offensive purposes against Russia. It also had a profound impact on Ukraine’s military plans against Russia in 2022.
Musk has said that Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars and that it was designed for “peaceful things” like watching Netflix and getting online for school.
The Ukrainian government on its part has argued that Starlink is a critical tool for its citizens and that Musk’s decision to block its use was a violation of its neutrality agreement with SpaceX.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheRegister.
