In 2022, when Ukrainian forces were about to encircle Russian forces, communications between drones, cannons and troops were disrupted after a sudden signal cut, Musk, who previously called Reuters a ”fatah,” has not commented on the latest revelations.
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American billionaire Elon Musk, who is also the head of SpaceX, has been drawn into controversy after it was revealed that he ordered the shutdown of the Starlink satellite service in the Kherson region of Ukraine in 2022. At the crucial stage of the Ukraine war, he was found to have ordered the shutdown of satellite-based internet services.
Even now, the communication of the Ukrainian army was affected when the Starlink service was interrupted for two and a half hours on Thursday. According to the Reuters news agency, in late 2022, when Ukraine's campaign to regain its lost territory was gaining momentum, Ilan told his company's senior engineer to stop services there.
When the Ukrainian army was about to encircle the Russian army, the communication between the drones, the artillery and the army was disrupted when the signal suddenly stopped. Quoting a Ukrainian military officer, Reuters wrote, "The siege was completely stopped because of the lack of communication coordination and we ended up failing." It is speculated that behind Musk taking such a decision, Russia may respond with a possible nuclear weapon. However, SpaceX called this news 'false'. Musk has not given a detailed response on this.
Since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukrainian territory, Starlink's communication service has become very important for the Ukrainian military. In this process, half of the approximately 50,000 terminals that are currently in use have been purchased and provided by Poland. Based on this technology, the Ukrainian army has been maintaining coordination in drone flying, secure communication and war fronts. Musk himself has been claiming, 'If I stop this service, their whole front will collapse.' Thursday's global Starlink outage disrupted Ukrainian military communications for more than two and a half hours. Robert Brobdy, the drone commander of the Ukrainian army, said, "The video feed had to be advanced without combat and its direct impact was on the war front." He also pointed out the need to prepare an alternative system.
Ukraine has taken back some territory in recent days. Ukraine has retaken parts of Kherson after US President Donald Trump announced the resumption of US support for long-range weapons. Drone attacks have also intensified in areas under Russian control. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukraine has so far retaken 7 percent of its territory, while about 19 percent of the territory is still under Russian control.
Starlink's communications service to the Ukrainian government is worth about 100 million US dollars per month, and Musk's company is providing services worth more than 120 million dollars per year, according to the media. This includes communication services as well as their maintenance and operation costs. The US, then USAID, and others, along with Poland, the largest contributor, bore the costs of continuing the communication.
Last year, Musk clashed with Poland's foreign minister on social media after the Starlink controversy. After criticizing the minister, Musk wrote, "Shut up, your expenses are only a part of the specific cost." There is no alternative to Starlink. Later he assured that the service will not be stopped again. Musk, who posted the graphics to Reuters in February calling him "fataha", has not said anything about the latest revelation. -
with the help of the agency.
