The founder of SpaceX accused Ukraine of authorities not warning him in advance about the military operation, but demanded that it urgently open the internet at midnight.
Due to US anti-Russian sanctions, the Starlink satellite internet system could not be opened in the Crimea region. This version of satellite communications near the peninsula, which was the reason for the interruption of the Ukrainian army’s operation to attack the Russian fleet, was voiced by Elon Musk when speaking online at the All-In Summit technology conference.
According to him, special permission from US President Joe Biden was required for satellite communications to operate there.
“The reason for shutting down the satellite internet was actually the USA’s sanctions against Russia. Among them is Crimea, and we are not allowed to establish the connection. If I had received a direct order to open the system, Musk would have said, “If it was from the President of the United States, I would have done it, but such a decision “It was not taken,” he said.
He added that at the time he received urgent calls from Ukraine asking him to turn on satellite communications. Elon Musk also accused Ukraine of failing to warn its government about the need to open satellite communications in the region.
“Ukraine did not give us any warning or anything like that. We received an urgent call from the Ukrainian government that we had to open communications in Crimea. At midnight,” the billionaire said.
Let us also remind you that on September 7, information emerged that Elon Musk’s engineers prevented the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with marine drones near the Crimean coast in 2022. And the billionaire himself gave such a secret order. According to journalists, he was impressed after his meeting with the Russian leadership and was extremely afraid that Russia would respond with a nuclear strike after the attacks on Crimea.
The next day, September 8, Musk responded to accusations that he had disrupted a drone attack on the Russian fleet in Crimea. According to him, the Starlink regions in question have not been activated. The businessman also confirmed that he received an emergency request from Ukrainian government departments asking him to activate Starlink on the entire route network to the temporarily occupied Sevastopol.
“Obviously the goal was to sink the majority of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I accede to their wishes, then SpaceX would be clearly complicit in a major act of war and escalation of the conflict,” he said.
On September 10, Elon Musk said on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that he does not consider himself a traitor due to the shutdown of the Starlink system in the Crimea region. He added that he is a US citizen and only has an American passport. And the USA did not declare war on Russia.
Following this, US Democratic Senator and Armed Services Committee member Elizabeth Warren demanded an investigation into Elon Musk’s activities related to the “Ukraine incident” in 2022. Warren said it is important to understand whether the billionaire truly has the ability to influence the foreign policy of the US government. It is also worth understanding whether the authorities have the tools to influence it.
In response, Jack Reed, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a member of the US Democratic Party, stated that Musk has indeed made the field more accessible, but at the same time he has moved too close to national security issues.
We should also note that a few days after it was learned that Musk was involved in the Ukrainian army’s operation in Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the American businessman. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum, the politician called Musk “an extraordinary person.” “As for Elon Musk’s private business… He is absolutely an extraordinary person, this needs to be recognized… I think this is recognized all over the world. He is an active and talented businessman. The support of the American state,” He said.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.