A Ukrainian plan to target a Russian naval vessel in the Black Sea was reportedly abandoned after Elon Musk denied Starlink satellite internet access to help facilitate the attack.
Amid increasing efforts from Kyiv to bring the war to the “territory of Russia”, with explosive-laden drones hitting Moscow twice since the weekend, Tesla chief Elon Musk has reportedly personally intervened to prevent his Starlink satellite internet technology from being used to aid in long-range drone attacks.
According to a report from the New York Times, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, recently raised concerns over Musk’s influence over the war with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, after the latest refusal to assist in a long-distance offensive strike against a Russian ship off the coast of Crimea.
The paper claimed, citing unnamed people “familiar with the situation”, that Musk has restricted access to Starlink on multiple different occasions during the war and that such decisions are the sole discretion of the SpaceX chief. In addition to blocking internet access to facilitate a sea drone attack against the Russian Navy, Starlink has also reportedly been blocked off for Ukrainian forces attempting to recapture territory from the Russians in the Donbas region with geofencing limits being placed around the area.
Earlier this year, Mr Musk said on Twitter: “We are not allowing Starlink to be used for long-range drone strikes.”