Elon Musk, the philanthropic billionaire and CEO of SpaceX, recently found himself in a tumultuous international situation. A forthcoming biography reveals that Musk ordered the suspension of Starlink, his company’s satellite communication network, over Crimea to prevent an imminent Ukrainian attack on Russian warships.
The decision, which has sparked widespread debate, was apparently driven by fears of a potential escalation into nuclear warfare. Musk’s intervention, however, has prompted criticism from some quarters, including Ukrainian officials who decried the move as a disruption to their military strategy.
Musk reportedly asked, “How am I in this war?” during an interview with author Walter Isaacson.
BREAKING: ELON MUSK TURNED OF STARLINK TO STOP UKRAINIAN ATTACK ON RUSSIA
Elon Musk covertly instructed his team of engineers to deactivate his company's Starlink satellite communications network along the Crimean coastline during a Ukrainian offensive.
This covert action was… pic.twitter.com/sd2eKjtYpn
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) September 7, 2023
“Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes,” Musk stated, according to the book.
“I think if the Ukrainian attacks had succeeded in sinking the Russian fleet, it would have been like a mini Pearl Harbor and led to a major escalation,”Isaacson quoted Musk as saying. “We did not want to be a part of that.”
The owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, told Isaacson that he was worried the Ukrainian sneak attack would provoke Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin into launching a nuclear war.
On X, Musk wrote, “The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything.”
“There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol,” Musk added. “The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”
The Starlink regions in question were not activated. SpaceX did not deactivate anything.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2023
There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol.
The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor.
If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 7, 2023
While some critics argue that Musk’s actions were detrimental to Ukraine’s strategic interests, others point out that his decision may have averted a catastrophic escalation of the conflict. As reported by various sources, Musk’s primary concern was the potential for his technology to inadvertently precipitate a war of catastrophic proportions.
Isaacson’s book, titled “Elon Musk,” is slated to release next week.
