Musk Says Starlink Is Ukrainian Military's 'backbone'
Elon Musk asserts that severing Kiev's access to Starlink would lead to the collapse of the “entire frontline” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. For the complete article, visit RT.com.
TroibNews 
According to tech tycoon Elon Musk, shutting down the Starlink internet system would lead to the collapse of the “entire frontline” for the Ukrainian military.
Musk characterized the Starlink system as “the backbone of the Ukrainian army” in a post on X this past Sunday.
He warned, “Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,” and emphasized the need for peace amid a stalemate in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Musk expressed his distress over “years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose,” adding, “Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop.”
In late February, Reuters reported that Musk had contemplated cutting off Ukraine’s Starlink internet access as a means of giving Washington leverage in negotiations related to natural resources. Musk refuted these claims at the time, alleging that the news agency was “lying” and fabricating the story.
Since the escalation of conflict with Russia in 2022, SpaceX has been supplying the Ukrainian military with Starlink internet, delivering over 40,000 terminals, which have become integral to the command and control structure of the armed forces.
In addition to communication capabilities, the terminals are reported to have been used directly in combat. Starlink dishes have been spotted attached to both Ukrainian sea and aerial drones, offering reliable control that is difficult to jam.
Furthermore, SpaceX has been providing access to Starshield, a more secure and militarized iteration of the system. A Bloomberg report indicated that Musk's company secured a new contract with the Pentagon late last year, granting an additional 3,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine access to Starshield.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
Musk characterized the Starlink system as “the backbone of the Ukrainian army” in a post on X this past Sunday.
He warned, “Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,” and emphasized the need for peace amid a stalemate in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Musk expressed his distress over “years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose,” adding, “Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop.”
In late February, Reuters reported that Musk had contemplated cutting off Ukraine’s Starlink internet access as a means of giving Washington leverage in negotiations related to natural resources. Musk refuted these claims at the time, alleging that the news agency was “lying” and fabricating the story.
Since the escalation of conflict with Russia in 2022, SpaceX has been supplying the Ukrainian military with Starlink internet, delivering over 40,000 terminals, which have become integral to the command and control structure of the armed forces.
In addition to communication capabilities, the terminals are reported to have been used directly in combat. Starlink dishes have been spotted attached to both Ukrainian sea and aerial drones, offering reliable control that is difficult to jam.
Furthermore, SpaceX has been providing access to Starshield, a more secure and militarized iteration of the system. A Bloomberg report indicated that Musk's company secured a new contract with the Pentagon late last year, granting an additional 3,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine access to Starshield.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
