Elon Musk has a message for whoever might blame him for a third World War erupting over Ukraine: Its not his fault. In fact, his decision to restrict Ukrainian access to his communicationshes disabling satellite broadband use for any potential strikes on Russian soilcould help prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control. If you ask him, that is.
The serial entrepreneur has become a vital player in Ukraines defense thanks to his Starlink service, which has enabled communications for its soldiers all the way up to the front lines since last March. But Musk has complained about the cost of this pro -bono technology, at one point tweeting that the cost to his company SpaceX would exceed $100 million by the end of the year. Briefly, he even floated the idea that the U.S. taxpayer foot the bill, before dropping the idea.
On Sunday, Musk didnt cite any objections over any financial hit from providing the coverage. Instead, he argued that restricting Kyivs communications will prevent the regional conflict from evolving into something worse.
His specific worry is that his satellite-based broadband provider could be used to mount long-range drone strikes in Russian territory that might herald a new, more horrific phase of the war. In early December, Kyiv hit two targets hundreds of miles from its border, a politically controversial issue that some argue could transform a war of liberation into an offensive one.
We will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3, he posted on Sunday.
Russia has also threatened to shoot down Musks Starlink satellites in low earth orbit, claiming they are a legitimate military target.
The worlds second-richest person has become increasingly concerned about the prospects of a broader conflagration. Musk has echoed warnings of a global nuclear war from longtime associate David Sackslike himself and Peter Thiel, a member of Silicon Valleys so-called PayPal mafia.
SpaceX accuses Kyiv of weaponizing communications
The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter has taken an active interest in resolving the conflict, which is nearing its one-year anniversary.
In October, shortly before Ukraine liberated the regional capital of Kherson, Musk confided that he had spent an entire night thinking how to de-escalate tensions where professional diplomats had failed. He even floated a plan that would officially cede Crimea to Russia, which quickly proved unpopular.
Musks comment on Sunday came in response to a request from Scott Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and activist supporting Ukraines freedom fighters.
Defense from a genocidal invasion is not an offensive capability. Its survival, wrote Kelly, whose twin brother recently defeated a candidate backed by Thiel in Arizonas Senate race.
Musk dismissed Kellys remarks in a tweet, characterizing them as media & other propaganda. Two minutes later, the SpaceX CEO expressed his agreement that left-wing activists appeared to be agitating for World War III.
Starlinks use in the war threatens to become a source of contention between SpaceX and the Ukrainian government. Earlier this month, Musks operations chief and number two at the company, Gwynn Shotwell, went so far as to upbraid Kyivs use of the satellite broadband service at a conference held in Washington, D.C.
It was never intended to be weaponized, she said, adding, Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement.
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