From: allin
Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, has played a critical role in providing connectivity to Ukraine since the early days of the conflict with Russia. SpaceX began providing Starlink connectivity to Ukraine within a few days of the war starting [00:06:20]. The Ukrainian government has publicly stated that Starlink was “instrumental in the defense of Ukraine,” a fact they have communicated many times, including on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) [00:06:26]. Elon Musk affirmed that Starlink has been “incredibly helpful to the Ukraine war effort” [00:07:06].
Financial Contributions and Risks
SpaceX has incurred significant costs in supporting Ukraine, going “out of pocket very significantly” [00:07:11]. At one point, the cost was estimated at roughly 10 billion [00:14:07].
Musk noted that while the U.S. government has appropriated a substantial amount of money for Ukraine, likely between 100 billion, other providers of support are being paid, yet SpaceX has not received compensation for these risks or its contributions [00:14:30]. Despite this, SpaceX remains committed to continuing its support [00:14:55].
Connectivity on the Warfront
Starlink serves as “the fundamental communication backbone of the Ukrainian government and essential services like first responders” [00:11:47]. Crucially, Starlink is described as “the only thing that works on the warfront” because “everything else has been jammed by the Russians” [00:12:02].
Controversy Regarding Crimea
A significant incident involved Ukraine’s request to activate Starlink connectivity in the region around Crimea. This region had been “turned off” due to existing U.S. sanctions against Russia that specifically included Crimea [00:07:28]. SpaceX is not permitted to enable connectivity to a sanctioned country without “explicit government approval” from the U.S. government, which it did not possess [00:07:44].
In the middle of the night, SpaceX received “urgent calls from the Ukrainian government” requesting the activation of Starlink in Crimea [00:08:02]. SpaceX interpreted this request as enabling a “Pearl Harbor type attack” on the Russian fleet in Sevastopol [00:08:26]. Musk stated that Ukraine was asking SpaceX “to take part in a major act of war” [00:08:30].
Escalation Concerns
Elon Musk expressed that while he has “huge empathy support for the Ukrainian government,” the Ukrainian government is “not in charge” of U.S. citizens or companies [00:08:47]. He clarified that if a “Presidential Directive” from the American President had been issued to turn on the service, he would have complied, but “no such requests came through” [00:09:27]. Musk’s concern about a potential “mass escalation of hostilities” if the attack on Crimea occurred was likened to the strategic defeat Japan faced after the attack on Pearl Harbor, emphasizing that such an act would “enrage Russia” rather than defeat it [00:12:55].
This decision garnered criticism, with media figures attacking Musk [00:09:45]. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was “quite supportive” and did not “take the bait” from interviewers [00:10:05]. The reasoning for not activating Starlink in Crimea was consistent with the Biden Administration’s initial hesitation to provide ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, due to similar concerns about triggering a “huge escalation” of the conflict [00:11:08]. This situation was described as an example of “no good deed goes unpunished” [00:10:14].
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