The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for more than 1.5 years. But behind the scenes of this war may be Elon Musk and his satellite internet connection service Starlink. A new biography of Musk’s life has revealed that Starlink was deliberately disabled during the war.
Elon Musk shut down Starlink to prevent Ukraine from attacking Russia
Earlier this year, Russia attacked Ukraine and managed to collapse the country’s internet infrastructure. Elon Musk then sent Starlink terminals to Ukraine and directed its satellites to this region. However, Musk reportedly controls Starlink in certain situations.
In Walter Isaacson’s forthcoming book on Musk, it is stated that Musk deliberately shut down the Starlink connection. The reason was to prevent Ukraine from attacking Russia’s naval fleet. According to the book, this attack could have led Russia to respond with nuclear weapons.
Isaacson said that the Russian ships could not be hit as the satellite internet service was cut off. As a result, Ukraine lost contact with the Russian fleet and returned to shore.
Musk has previously expressed his discomfort with the use of Starlink in military attacks or drones. Some sources have even hinted that he has met with Russian President Putin. Although the allegations in the book have not yet been proven, there is a possibility that Musk may shut down Starlink.
On the other hand, the billionaire had previously asked for help from the Pentagon for Starlink service in Ukraine. It is unclear whether the SpaceX CEO, who stated that the satellites spend millions of dollars every day, has been paid.
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