Elon Musk has been accused of “threatening the Ukrainians and the US government at gunpoint” for being able to shut down internet services on the Ukrainian frontline at will.
The richest man in the world began providing free access to his Starlink internet terminals in the early days of the Russian invasion in February 2022, and his generosity was instrumental in allowing Ukrainians to communicate and coordinate the resistance.
But late last year his enthusiasm began to wane and he became increasingly concerned about taking sides.
Ultimately, the Pentagon paid Musk to keep him in touch, but journalist Ronan Farrow, in a profile of Musk for this week’s New Yorker, spoke to Ukrainian and US officials who questioned the power Musk held throughout the war , were deeply concerned.
Farrow told CNN on Tuesday that there had been “a dispute over internet access in Ukraine.”
Ronan Farrow told CNN on Tuesday that Elon Musk had “the Ukrainians and the US government at gunpoint.”
“It appears that he spoke to Vladimir Putin – he told several people that at the time, although he has since tried to deny it,” Farrow said.
“And then he restricted access specifically in areas that were controversial to Russia.”
“One of the things that happened in the end was that the Pentagon paid.”
“We will strike a deal to make sure this doesn’t come to a complete halt.”
But Farrow said Ukrainians, who had so praised Musk in the first year of the war, are now concerned about the whims of their capricious benefactor.
Musk complained about the cost of providing the internet service back in October 2022. The richest man in the world has yet to respond to Farrow’s latest claims.
“The hell with that…even if Starlink still loses money and other companies get billions in taxpayers’ money, we will continue to fund the Ukrainian government for free,” Musk wrote.
A Ukrainian soldier from the 61st Separate Mechanized Brigade uses the Starlink system in the Chernihiv region in June this year
Local residents use a Starlink terminal in Khasiv Yar in the Donetsk region on January 31 during the Russian attack on Ukraine
A Ukrainian soldier gestures as he stands next to the Starlink connection in Kherson in October
“Local people in Ukraine, on the frontlines, continued to be scared,” Farrow said.
“We apparently bought his services at a very generous price.
“This is a situation where, metaphorically speaking, he was threatening the Ukrainians and the US government at gunpoint.”
“And to this day, they fear he will cut back on the service even further.”
Farrow said Musk’s meetings with Putin caused a stir.
“There is nothing wrong with such cordial relations between a private individual and significant government leadership, even in the context of a relationship with a military contractor,” he said.
“But this is something more and something different.”
He pointed out that the United States is now in the unprecedented position of relying on a private individual for NASA’s space transportation and to complete its self-imposed transition to electric vehicles.
Farrow called it “a new extreme and political power”.
Defense officials “panic” at the prospect of internet service shutdown, and Colin Kahl, then the Pentagon’s undersecretary for defense policy, raised the issue with Musk in October 2022.
A senior defense official told the New Yorker that several meetings with US officials had taken place, and Musk revealed, “Well, I had this great conversation with Putin.”
Elon Musk told senior Pentagon officials during a call about the war in Ukraine that he had a “great conversation with Putin,” they say
Reports that Musk spoke to Putin about the war first surfaced last October, and the Tesla owner has denied the claim
The report said Musk “declared that his consultations with the Kremlin were regular.”
The report did not provide any further information about what Musk and the Russian President discussed.
Reports that Musk spoke to Putin about the war first surfaced last October, and the Tesla owner has denied the claim.
The official who spoke to the New Yorker said the take on the alleged conversation in US defense circles was, “Oh dear, that’s not good.”
Kahl said, “While Musk is not technically a diplomat or statesman, given the influence he has had on this matter, I felt it was important to treat him as such.”
As Musk grew concerned about Starlink’s funding in Ukraine, he also publicly discussed possible diplomatic solutions to the war with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Musk tweeted that an agreement could be reached that would allow Russia to retain control of the Crimean Peninsula, which it occupied in 2014.
Colin Kahl, then Pentagon Undersecretary for Defense Policy, spoke to Elon Musk last October amid fears in the Pentagon that Musk might shut down Starlink service in Ukraine
As Musk grew concerned about Starlink’s funding in Ukraine, he also publicly discussed possible diplomatic solutions to the war with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelensky responded with a sarcastic Twitter poll asking, “Which Elon Musk do you like more?”, “One who supports Ukraine” or “One who supports Russia.”
Ultimately, SpaceX continued to provide Starlink services and in June the Pentagon announced it had reached an agreement to fund the service.
Musk had claimed it would cost Starlink $400 million a year to continue funding the service.
Kahl added, “My conclusion was that he was getting nervous because Starlink’s involvement in Russia was increasingly seen as an opportunity for the Ukrainian war effort, and was looking for a way to allay Russian concerns.”
Musk said in October 2022 he had spoken to Putin “only once,” and that was about 18 months ago. The theme was space.’
Ukraine was reportedly forced to cancel several planned drone strikes on Russian targets after Elon Musk refused to allow access to the Starlink satellite network for offensive military maneuvers.
Kiev recently planned to remotely pilot a drone to conduct a bomb attack on a Russian naval ship at a Black Sea base in occupied Crimea.
However, according to a New York Times report, Musk denied the Ukrainian military use of his Starlink network – the services of which he had offered to Kiev earlier in the war – forcing army chiefs to halt the attack.
After the aborted attack, Ukrainian army chief Valery Zaluzhnyi reportedly sought contact with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, claiming Musk has the ability to dictate his military’s capabilities to attack key Russian targets.
Zaluzhnyi said it was “concerning” that Musk had foiled several planned attacks.
The billionaire, who lent his satellite network to support Ukraine’s wartime communications in the months following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, has claimed from the start that its technology was “for peaceful use only.”
According to a report in the New York Times, 52-year-old SpaceX boss Musk has repeatedly denied the Ukrainian military use of his Starlink network, thereby thwarting planned attacks on Russian targets
A handout photo provided by the Press Service of the President of Ukraine shows Valeriy Zaluzhnyi (centre), Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, attending an event marking the Day of Ukrainian Statehood at Mykhailivska Square in downtown Kiev. Ukraine, July 28, 2023
Musk, who donated his satellite network for free in 2022 to support Ukraine’s wartime communications, has claimed from the start that his technology is “for peaceful use only.”
Musk’s Starlink satellites have provided essential communications support to the Ukrainian military since Russia invaded
The latest controversy over Starlink’s use for offensive military maneuvers comes after SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell officially announced in February that the company would restrict Ukraine’s use of Starlink for military purposes.
Shotwell explained the service could be used for typical communications and humanitarian purposes, such as connecting families and hospitals.
The service had allowed Ukrainians to benefit from uninterrupted, independent and secure internet access while Russia’s consolidated missile attacks caused significant damage to Ukraine’s communications infrastructure.
In many cases, Starlink satellites became the only means of communication for Ukrainian forces on the front lines.
Starlink’s Terms of Service clearly states: “Starlink is not designed or intended for use with or in offensive or defensive weapons or other similar end uses.”
But the Ukrainian military had used the technology to pilot drones that carried anti-tank grenades and destroyed Russian tanks and army trucks.
In recent months, Kiev has pioneered the use of naval kamikaze drones — unmanned vessels loaded with explosives that head for Russian warships and explode on impact.
In addition, naval drones have been used to destroy or damage Moscow-controlled infrastructure, notably a section of the Kerch Bridge, which connects occupied Crimea to mainland Russia.