American entrepreneur Elon Musk says he did not activate Starlink satellite communications over the Crimean Peninsula for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attack on Russian Navy ships because he did not want to violate US sanctions against Russia, he wrote on the social network X on September 3.
Earlier, CNN reported that the owner of the Starlink satellite internet did not turn on the network near Crimea and prevented Ukrainian troops from attacking the Russian Navy. Musk later retracted this statement and explained that the system was not working, but he was asked to turn it on. He explained his reluctance to activate Starlink satellite communications due to the presence of US sanctions against the Russian Federation, which prohibited him from doing so.
“Starlink was banned from turning on satellites… (over Crimea – ed.) at the time, because this action would be a violation of US sanctions against Russia!” — wrote Musk.
Musk drew attention to the fact that Starlink can be used as a connection for the military, but if it is used in military operations, then the commercial Starlink will already be considered a military system, which is fraught with the destruction of satellites by the opposing side, this will be its full right.
Earlier, the businessman said that SpaceX did not promise coverage over Crimea and specified what it wanted. “help people, don’t kill them”He also said he did not want to use Starlink satellites to escalate the tension of a conflict that could possibly end in World War III.
Recall that the capabilities of the Russian defense industry allow it to resist Starlink, said the head of the Electronic Warfare Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, Yuri Lastochkin, on April 15 in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.
He stressed that, contrary to international standards, the use of commercial frequency bands poses some obstacles and problems, but they can be overcome.
“The existing scientific and technical reserve of the Russian military-industrial complex enterprises allows us to quickly take measures to include new objects in the list of targets for influence.”said.
Lastochkin also determined the transfer of commercial systems technologies to Ukraine. “hypocrisy on the part of the United States”related to the topic “double standards”.
Starlink is a future next-generation satellite network designed to bring broadband internet access to the farthest corners of the Earth.
In mid-October 2023, Elon Musk said that SpaceX was not obliged to pay for the operation of Starlink in Ukraine due to the large expenses that the network company offered to the Pentagon to finance Ukrainian expenses; but the owner of the network promised to pay these costs itself.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.