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Tech billionaire Elon Musk has faced criticism from Ukraine after it was revealed that he prevented a significant attack on the Russian fleet.
According to excerpts published by CNN from an upcoming biography of the SpaceX CEO, Musk covertly instructed his engineers to disable his Starlink satellite network over Russian-controlled Crimea last year. This action was taken to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s naval fleet. Musk was concerned that this planned attack on the Kremlin’s Black Sea fleet, which occurred early in the conflict, could escalate tensions and potentially lead to nuclear conflict, according to the book by historian Walter Isaacson.
This revelation drew immediate criticism from Kyiv. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, criticized Musk on X (formerly Twitter, which Musk owns), saying, “Sometimes a mistake is much more than just a mistake.” Podolyak argued that by preventing Ukrainian drones from destroying part of the Russian military fleet through Starlink interference, Musk allowed the fleet to launch Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities, resulting in civilian casualties. He questioned why some people staunchly defended war criminals and their violent intentions.
Musk responded to the report by denying that he had turned off the service but acknowledged that he had chosen not to enable the attack because he did not want to directly involve himself in the war. He clarified that the Starlink regions in question were not activated and that SpaceX had not deactivated anything. Musk also mentioned that there was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol, a key port city in Crimea that houses Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The request’s apparent intent was to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor, a scenario Musk believed would make SpaceX complicit in a significant act of war and conflict escalation.
According to the excerpts from the new biography, this decision resulted in Ukrainian submarine drones losing connectivity as they approached the Russian ships, leading to their payloads being rendered harmless.
According to the book, Musk discussed his decision with top US officials as well as Russia’s ambassador to the US. NBC News has reached out to SpaceX and Zelenskyy’s office for comment.
Musk has previously faced criticism from Ukraine and its supporters for his actions related to the conflict. Last October, he asked the U.S. government to take over funding for his Starlink satellite network in the country, initially citing significant costs, but later decided to continue funding the service for free. In June, the Pentagon agreed to buy Starlink satellite internet terminals from Musk for use in Ukraine. Additionally, Musk’s suggestion in a Twitter poll last year that Ukraine should cede Crimea to Russia as part of a peace deal sparked controversy.
While Musk’s actions have angered many in Ukraine, they have been welcomed by the Kremlin. Moscow has sought peace negotiations on its terms, but Zelenskyy’s government has refused to engage politically with Russia as long as President Vladimir Putin remains in power.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, thanked Musk for refusing to enable Ukraine to utilize Starlink for the attack last year, calling Musk “the last adequate mind in North America” or “the one with the balls” in gender-neutral America, according to his comments on X.
