US tech billionaire Elon Musk says he prevented Ukraine from wiping out Russia’s Black Sea navy fleet last year by denying Starlink internet access — a revelation that prompted a furious response from Kyiv on Friday. The satellite-based communications system Starlink, operated by Musk-owned company SpaceX, has been deployed in Ukraine since shortly after the country was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
The network, which helps increasingly high-tech soldiers to operate in areas where other means of communication are down, is a key battlefield tool for Kyiv. But the admission by Musk — who has previ-ously angered Ukraine with proposals including validating Russia’s claim to sovereignty over the occupied Crimea region — raises questions about whether Starlink can be fully counted on by Kyiv.
The incident in question revolves around a dramatic plan by Ukraine to cripple Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet based in Sevastopol, a strategic harbour in Crimea, which Moscow occupied and claimed to annex in 2014.
“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,” Musk posted on Thursday on his social media platform X, formerly named Twitter.—AFP
