Elon Musk has owned up to denying Ukrainian forces access to Starlink in their offensive against Russia. Musk said he did this ‘to avoid being complicit in a major act of war.’
The billionaire CEO of Tesla, X (formerly Twitter) and Space X was accused in a new book of cutting off Ukraine’s access to Starlink over the Crimean coast to prevent an attack on the Russian naval fleet.
Responding to the accusation, Musk said that while he did not order engineers to switch off the satellite system, he did refuse Kyiv’s request to turn it on because he wanted to ‘avoid being complicit in a major act of war.’
The world’s richest man began providing free access to Space X’s Starlink internet terminals in the early days of the Russian invasion in February 2022, which have been vital in allowing Ukrainians to communicate and coordinate their resistance.
But, at the end of last year, he became increasingly concerned about taking sides, ultimately ordering that the internet be shut down to stop a ‘kamikaze drone’ submarine attack on Russian warships.
CNN reported on Thursday September 7, that Musk made the decision to turn off Ukraine’s internet after speaking to Russian officials, who left him certain nuclear war would ensue.
The move disrupted a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian fleet and caused drones to wash harmlessly onto the shore.
