Elon Musk’s Decision to Cut off Ukrainian Army from Starlink Network

Introduction

American businessmen Elon Musk cut off the Ukrainian army from its Starlink satellite communications network when it tried to attack the Russian fleet last year, causing the attack to fail.

New Book Reveals Musk’s Secret Order

This is stated in the new book by Walter Isaacson about the life of an American billionaire, which will be published on September 12.

Last year, Musk secretly ordered his engineers to cut off access to Starlink services off the coast of Crimea to prevent a covert Ukrainian attack on the Russian navy, Isaacson said. As the Ukrainian decoy drones approached the Russian fleet, they “lost contact and flew ashore without causing any damage.”

Musk’s Fear of Retaliation

Behind Musk’s decision, which resulted in Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was Musk’s deep fear that Russia would retaliate with a potential Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, Isikson said, a fear heightened by Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials, according to Isikson.

Supporting Ukrainian Army

After the start of the Russian special military operation in February 2022, Musk agreed to provide Ukraine with Starlink satellite stations manufactured by his SpaceX company, which became decisive factors allowing the Ukrainian army to continue its military operations even in the face of disruptions in cellular networks and the Internet.

Musk’s Doubts and Concerns

But as soon as Ukraine used the Starlink stations to launch offensive operations against Russia, Musk began to doubt this decision. “How did I get involved in this war?” Isaacson quoted the words of the billionaire. “Starlink was not designed to participate in wars. Its purpose is for people to watch Netflix, relax and surf the Internet to go to school and study good peaceful deeds, and not rallies.”

In February last year, Musk said he would not allow Starlink satellites to be used to escalate a conflict that could lead to a third world war.

Conclusion

Elon Musk’s decision to cut off the Ukrainian army from the Starlink network highlights his concerns about potential conflicts and his desire to maintain the original purpose of the satellite communications system. His actions have had significant implications on the outcome of the covert Ukrainian attack on the Russian fleet.

Source:

CNN