Elon Musk refused to respond to claims he allowed Vladimir Putin to spend his life in Ukraine when challenged by a reporter.
Satellite installations provided by Musk have become vital to Ukraine’s military communications. However, the tech entrepreneur has faced criticism for refusing to allow its Starlink internet system to be used by Ukraine’s armed forces to launch long-range offensive strikes. to do
This refusal has angered officials in Kyiv, who blamed Musk for the deaths of children and for “doing evil”. On Tuesday (12 September) it seemed that the billionaire owner of SpaceX, which operates Starlink satellites, shifted the blame to the President of the United States Joe Biden.
Speaking at the All-In Conference in Los Angeles, Musk said US sanctions on Russia meant the Starlink satellite link near Crimea could not be turned on for operations. Ukrainian military without the permission of the US president.
“The sanctions include Crimea, and we are not allowed to turn the connection to a controlled country without the express permission of the government,” Musk said.
He said that the Ukrainian government had requested that the Starlink link be turned on “in the middle of the night” for a “Pearl Harbor-like attack on the Russian fleet in Sevastopol”.
Musk said that Ukraine “asked us to participate in a major act of war”. He said “if I had received a presidential directive to turn it on, I would have done so”.
Ukraine finally launched an attack forward Sevastopol Shipyard Crimea yesterday (Wednesday, September, 13) using Storm Shadow cruise missiles from the UK. The strike reportedly destroyed a Russian submarine, with Russia admitting that the strikes “damaged” two vessels.
However, Musk’s protests have not satisfied his critics. And yesterday (Wednesday, September 13) he was challenged by Sky News who said Musk “admits that he blocked a Ukrainian attack on Russia”.
A Sky reporter asked Musk, as he walked to a waiting car. The reporter asked: “Did your ignorance and ego cost Ukrainian lives, sir? A Ukrainian official says you have enabled Vladimir Putin as an aggressor. What do you say to that?” ?”
“Vladimir Putin calls you ‘great’, Mr. Musk. Do you appreciate that? What would you say to Mr. Putin?”
A stone-faced Musk ignored the Sky reporter’s questions.
Previously, Musk has said that he cannot win when it comes to giving Ukraine Starlink access. In late January – responding to claims it was a “war crime” to allow Ukraine’s armed forces to use Starlink – he tweeted: “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. SpaceX Starlink has become the backbone of Ukraine’s connectivity all the way up to the front lines It’s damned if you part.
“However, we don’t allow Starlink to be used for long-range drone strikes. It’s damned if you don’t leave.”
A few months earlier, in October 2022, the Russian government indirectly warned Musk that it could shoot down its satellites. Konstantin Vorontsov, the deputy head of the Russian delegation warned that “semi-civilian infrastructure could be a legitimate target for retaliation”.
