A report that emerged on Tuesday revealed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk declined a request from the Ukrainian government to extend his satellite internet service to the Crimean peninsula. He expressed concerns that attempting to reclaim the peninsula from Russian troops might escalate and lead to a nuclear conflict.
Elon Musk, along with the U.S. government, dispatched hundreds of Starlink devices to Kyiv during Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. These devices enabled Ukrainian soldiers to communicate in areas previously inaccessible. According to Yahoo News, Starlink's satellite receivers consume minimal power, making them compatible with surveillance drones. This allowed the collection of real-time intelligence on Russian troop movements for targeted responses.
However, the Starlink network has recently experienced issues, and there were reports of "catastrophic" problems on the front lines. Some speculated that service had been disrupted in areas under Russian control, possibly to prevent misuse by the Kremlin.
According to a report by VICE News, Elon Musk had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before proposing a peace plan on Twitter to resolve the Ukraine conflict. Reportedly, Musk informed Ian Bremmer from Eurasia Group that Vladimir Putin was "willing to talk" but had specific conditions, including Crimea remaining part of Russia, Ukraine adopting permanent neutrality, and acknowledging Russia's annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya.
Musk informed Bremmer that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense had requested the activation of Starlink in Crimea after Russia's unlawful annexation of the peninsula in 2014. Musk "refused" to comply due to the potential for escalation.
Elon Musk told me he had spoken with Putin and the Kremlin directly about Ukraine. He also told me what the Kremlin’s red lines were.
— Ian Bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 11, 2022
Elon Musk told me he had spoken with Putin and the Kremlin directly about Ukraine. He also told me what the Kremlin’s red lines were.
However, Musk vehemently denied having had a recent conversation with the Russian leader and stated on Twitter that he "talked to Putin once, approximately 18 months ago."
His tweet response was as follows:
Nobody should trust Bremmer
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2022
Nobody should trust Bremmer
Bremmer noted that Musk informed him that Putin insisted his conditions be met, even if it required a nuclear strike in case of a Ukrainian attempt to reclaim Crimea. Musk stressed that "everything needed to be done to prevent that from happening."
Last week, the world's wealthiest individual faced criticism for offering advice on achieving "peace" amid the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. This criticism came from Ukrainian leaders, including Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Ukraine's former ambassador to Germany, Andrij Melnyk, who expressed frustration with Musk's comments.
Elon Musk conducted a Twitter poll to pressure Russia to halt its aggression in Ukraine using his Twitter account. He suggested various approaches to address the issue and sought his followers' opinions, including recognizing Russia's control of Crimea.
The billionaire also recently attempted to use his diplomatic skills to address the China-Taiwan issue.
Arms control experts have expressed concerns that Putin and his top advisors may contemplate using nuclear weapons from Russia's extensive arsenal to prevent territorial losses in the south and east of Ukraine.