Last year, Elon Musk secretly ordered Starlink technical services to cut off communications in the occupied Crimea region to thwart an attack by Ukrainian naval drones on the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
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This happened after his conversation with the Russian senior leadership – he was seriously afraid that Russia would resort to a nuclear strike.
This situation was described by Walter Isaacson in a book about Musk, an excerpt of which was reviewed by CNN journalists. Musk’s decision resulted in the drones losing contact as they neared their targets and then beaching themselves.
Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov asked Musk to restore the connection, but he refused. Finally, on June 1, 2023, the Pentagon entered into an agreement with SpaceX to purchase Starlink for Ukraine, which Musk would not be able to turn off at his own request.
According to the publication, this episode reveals the unique position in which Musk found himself during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He initially agreed to provide Ukraine with Starlink terminals, but when it began using them offensively, the billionaire began to have doubts. In the fall of 2022, SpaceX warned the Pentagon that it could no longer finance Starlink in Ukraine. The company eventually reached a financing agreement with American and European authorities. Musk and SpeceX did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.