Elon Musk Says He Prevented Ukrainian Attack on Russian Ships – Liberation

According to the American billionaire, his refusal to enable internet access in the Black Sea – through his Starlink service – in response to Kiev’s request, led to the failed Ukrainian attack on a Russian naval base last year.

This is the first time he himself has admitted to intervening in the conflict in favor of Russia. Elon Musk said on Friday that he prevented a Ukrainian attack against a Russian naval base in the Black Sea on September 8 by refusing Kyiv’s request to enable Internet access via its Starlink satellite. “We have received an urgent request from government officials to implement Starlink to Sevastopol. The apparent aim was to sink the bulk of the Russian fleet at anchor. He posted on Thursday Twitter (Renamed X).

Tesla’s multi-billionaire owner, who should take the veracity of his comments with a grain of salt, has already been accused of appeasing Moscow because of his business interests.

“If I were to accept their request, SpaceX would be clearly complicit in a major act of war and escalation of the conflict.” Musk defended himself in response to an excerpt from an eponymous biography penned by Walter Isaacson, to be released on September 12.

The city of Sevastopol is a Russian naval base stationed in the Black Sea on the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. Internet service there was via the Starlink satellite operated by SpaceX, owned by Musk. After Russia’s invasion in February 2022, like the rest of Ukraine.

“They lost the connection”

In an extract published by The Washington PostIsaacson writes in September 2022, “Ukrainian military launches masked attack against Russian naval fleet in Sevastopol by deploying six small underwater drones packed with explosives using Starling” To guide them towards their goal.

The author insists that he was then principal “I spoke to the Russian ambassador to the US…who openly stated that a Ukrainian attack on Crimea would lead to nuclear retaliation.” According to Isaacson, Musk He secretly told his engineers to disable coverage within 100 kilometers of the Crimean coast. When the Ukrainian drones approached the Russian fleet in Sevastopol, they lost contact and fled unharmed.

On August 23, a hearing New Yorker A year and a half into the war, SpaceX revealed a problem about the boss’s face. According to US media, Elon Musk initially helped Kiev for business interests before adopting a closer stance to Moscow and its Chinese ally.