Elon Musk's new biography reveals he secretly asked engineers to disconnect Starlink satellites to prevent Ukrainian suicide boats from attacking Crimea.
In a biography titled Elon Musk, which is scheduled to be released on September 12, author Walter Isaacson said that billionaire Elon Musk last year asked SpaceX engineers to shut down the Starlink satellite communications network near the coast of Crimea to prevent Ukraine's attack on the Russian naval fleet.
According to Isaacson, when the Ukrainian suicide boats carrying explosives approached the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, they suddenly "lost contact and drifted ashore."
Musk made the decision due to concerns that Moscow would use nuclear weapons in response to Kiev’s attack on the Crimean peninsula, after speaking with senior Russian officials, according to Isaacson. But Musk’s concerns did not materialize, even as Ukraine stepped up its attack on Crimea.
American billionaire Elon Musk in Florida in January 2020. Photo: Reuters
After Russia disrupted Ukraine's communications system just before launching hostilities in late February 2022, Musk agreed to provide Ukraine with millions of dollars worth of Starlink satellite equipment manufactured by SpaceX.
Starlink is vital to Ukraine’s military operations. Even if mobile phone and internet networks are disrupted, Starlink allows Ukraine to maintain communications and connect to remotely piloted vehicles.
However, after Ukraine used suicide boats to attack Russia, Musk began to doubt his decision.
“What am I doing in this war? Starlink should not be involved in war. It’s for people to watch Netflix and relax and do online school and do good things in peace, not for drone attacks,” he told Isaacson.
Isaacson said Musk had early phone calls with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, as well as the Russian ambassador to the US to address Washington and Moscow's concerns.
Ukrainian soldiers use Starlink satellite equipment in Kreminna on January 6. Photo: Reuters
Meanwhile, Mykhailo Fedorov, the deputy prime minister of Ukraine, urgently asked Musk to restore the connection by talking about the effectiveness of the unmanned suicide boat. "I just want you, who is changing the world with technology, to know this," Fedorov texted Musk.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and space exploration company SpaceX, responded that he was impressed with the drone boat's design, but could not reconnect the Starlink network in Crimea because "Ukraine is going too far and risks strategic failure," according to Isaacson.
However, Isaacson said SpaceX eventually reached an agreement with the US and European governments to deliver an additional 100,000 new satellite dishes to Ukraine in early 2023.
Last week, the United States and its allies in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, accused Russian hackers of targeting Ukraine’s battlefield communications system. According to Ukraine, the malware was designed by Russia to intercept data sent to Starlink satellites. Russia has not commented on this information.
Thanh Tam (According to CNN )
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