Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia
To be clear, Musk/SpaceX has provided millions of dollars of Starlink equipment for Ukraine. The article indicates he was in discussions with the US administration prior to the shutdown. But the article seems to suggest that it was Musk alone that chose to shutdown Starlink in the particular regions of the Ukraine counteroffensive. You can imagine how severely that impacted the success of the counteroffensive plans.
Quote:The three people familiar with the order said they believed it stemmed from concerns Musk expressed later that Ukrainian advances could provoke nuclear retaliation from Russia. One of the people said the shutoff transpired on September 30, 2022. The two others said it was around then, but didn’t recall the exact date.
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The shutoff of Starlink over parts of Ukraine in fall 2022 affected connectivity in some regions, including Kherson and Donetsk, still occupied by Russian forces today.
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The Kherson episode is distinct from an earlier report of an incident that purportedly occurred that same September, involving Crimea just to the south, and raised concerns about Musk’s ability to influence the conflict in Ukraine. ...
He[Musk] said he had, rather[than cut-off existing service], rejected a Ukrainian request to provide service [in Crimea] ahead of Kyiv’s planned attack.
"Elon Musk’s current global dominance exemplifies the dangers of concentrated power in unregulated domains"
- Martha Lane Fox, member of Britain's upper house of parliament
To be clear, Musk/SpaceX has provided millions of dollars of Starlink equipment for Ukraine. The article indicates he was in discussions with the US administration prior to the shutdown. But the article seems to suggest that it was Musk alone that chose to shutdown Starlink in the particular regions of the Ukraine counteroffensive. You can imagine how severely that impacted the success of the counteroffensive plans.