Elon Musk has clarified his role in preventing a Ukrainian sneak attack on a Russian fleet in Crimea. It was reported that excerpts from a forthcoming autobiography claimed that Musk secretly ordered his SpaceX company to deactivate the Starlink satellite communication network near the coast of Crimea to prevent a covert attack by Ukrainian submarine drones. Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to Ukraine’s president, accused Musk of siding with Russia and committing acts of “evil.” However, Musk responded on X by stating that Starlink was not deactivated and that SpaceX did not agree to the Ukrainian government’s request for activation, as it would have been complicit in war and conflict escalation. Musk emphasized that Starlink was meant for peaceful purposes and not for drone strikes. Starlink has been praised for its role in providing internet connectivity to Ukraine, including hospitals and clinics, and enabling more effective targeting for Ukrainian military drones. It has also faced criticism from both Ukrainian and Russian sides. Musk clarified that SpaceX cannot continue funding the Starlink service indefinitely and clarified that previous reports of Starlink outages during the Ukrainian counteroffensive were based on misinformation.
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