KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Elon Musk said on Saturday that his company SpaceX had throttled the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations that the country relies on to defend itself against Russia.
Musk’s admission on social media came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted front-line operations for more than a week.
Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Musk-made satellite internet system that Kyiv has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that restoration began overnight and were sufficient by Saturday morning, improving front-line logistics and defense against Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
Business leaders have always had tremendous influence. This is a form of power that is usually borne out in lobbying/bribery.
This is a different form of power. Elon is literally calling the shots during an active war. This is more akin to a unelected Worldwide War Czar.
The two I offered up in comparison, Ford and Kennedy, acted similarly, going rogue and trying to collaborate with Nazis. It’s not without historical precedent.
Yes, Ford is the most common example that is known about. He and many other wealthy US industrialists gave material support to both the Nazi and Fascist Italy.
If during WWII Ford used his influence to change how the allied troops could fight, for example, finding a way to withhold needed parts during wartime to prevent an offensive. Then we would be getting closer.
No, there really hasn’t been anything like this in the past.
You’re misrepresenting my argument, but that’s okay.
Have a nice Sunday.
I am having a conversation, you are making this needlessly confrontational.