Current:Home > ContactElon Musk says he denied Ukraine satellite request to avoid complicity in "major act of war" vs. Russia -WealthRoots Academy
Elon Musk says he denied Ukraine satellite request to avoid complicity in "major act of war" vs. Russia
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:38:01
Washington — Tech billionaire Elon Musk has said that he prevented a Ukrainian attack on a Russian Navy base last year by declining Kyiv's request to activate internet access in the Black Sea near Moscow-annexed Crimea. Satellite internet service Starlink, operated by Musk-owned company SpaceX, has been deployed in Ukraine since shortly after it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
"There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol. The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor," Musk posted Thursday on X, formerly named Twitter.
There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2023
The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor.
If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and…
The city of Sevastopol is the base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
"If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation," Musk said.
Musk was posting in response to a published excerpt of an upcoming biography of the tech tycoon by Walter Isaacson.
In the excerpt published by The Washington Post on Thursday, Isaacson wrote that in September last year, "The Ukrainian military was attempting a sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet based at Sevastopol in Crimea by sending six small drone submarines packed with explosives, and it was using Starlink to guide them to the target."
Musk had "spoken to the Russian ambassador to the United States... (who) had explicitly told him that a Ukrainian attack on Crimea would lead to a nuclear response," Isaacson wrote.
Musk "secretly told his engineers to turn off coverage within 100 kilometers of the Crimean coast. As a result, when the Ukrainian drone subs got near the Russian fleet in Sevastopol, they lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly", according to Isaacson.
In another post on Thursday, Musk countered Isaacson's account.
"The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything," Musk posted.
Russia's ex-president and senior security official Dmitry Medvedev, in response to Isaacson's detailing of the incident, lauded Musk.
"(Musk) was concerned about a retaliatory nuclear strike," Medvedev posted on X Thursday. "If what Isaacson has written in his book is true, then it looks like Musk is the last adequate mind in North America. Or, at the very least, in gender-neutral America, he is the one with the balls."
Musk also called Thursday for a truce in the conflict.
"Both sides should agree to a truce. Every day that passes, more Ukrainian and Russian youth die to gain and lose small pieces of land, with borders barely changing. This is not worth their lives," he posted.
The technology mogul has been embroiled in previous public spats with Ukrainian leaders who've been angered by his controversial proposals to deescalate the conflict, including acknowledging Russian sovereignty over the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
In October 2022, eight months after he says he made the decision to deny Ukraine's "urgent" request to extend the Starlink coverage, Musk changed course after suggesting he would stop funding the use of his satellite network by Ukraine.
Musk had said that SpaceX would not be able to pay for Starlink in Ukraine indefinitely, but the next day he said in a tweet: "The hell with it. Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free."
He changed his mind after the U.S. military confirmed it was communicating with the billionaire's company about the possibility of U.S. government funding for Ukraine to continue using the satellite network.
- In:
- Starlink
- War
- Elon Musk
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Black Sea
- Missile Launch
veryGood! (28)
Related
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Dollar General to pay $12 million for alleged violations including blocking exits
- It's Amazon Prime Day! And what the world needs now is a little retail therapy.
- Griff talks new album 'Vertigo' and opening for Taylor Swift during Eras Tour
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Richard Simmons’ Cause of Death Under Investigation
- Skip Bayless leaving FS1's 'Undisputed' later this summer, according to reports
- Texas man facing execution for 1998 killing of elderly woman for her money
- Trump's 'stop
- New search launched for body of woman kidnapped, killed 54 years ago after being mistaken for Rupert Murdoch's wife
Ranking
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- North Carolina postal worker died in truck from possible heat stroke, family says
- Christina Hall's Husband Josh Hall Files for Divorce After 2 Years of Marriage
- Joe Bryant, Kobe Bryant's Dad, Dies From Stroke 4 Years After Son's Fatal Plane Crash
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Christina Hall's Husband Josh Hall Files for Divorce After 2 Years of Marriage
- BBC Journalist John Hunt Speaks Out After Wife, Daughters Are Killed in Crossbow Attack
- Emma Roberts Engaged to Actor Cody John: See Her Ring
Recommendation
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Hall of Fame RB Terrell Davis says he was placed in handcuffs on United Airlines flight
BMW, Chrysler, Honda among 437K vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
'Clock is ticking': Texas Gov. Abbott gives utility company deadline to fix power outages
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
A happy retirement: Marine K-9s reunite with first handlers
Want to retire but can't afford it? This strategy could be right for you.
Spain clinches record 4th European Championship title, beating England 2-1