Major Update on the original story that follows below from BLOOMBERG NEWS with this short extract
from the U.S. Senate, now involved with this stunning story and the headline:
“Musk’s Denial of Ukraine’s
Starlink Request Prompts Senate Probe”
(Bloomberg) – The
Senate Armed Services Committee is looking into national security issues raised
by Elon Musk’s decision not to extend the private “Starlink satellite network” (he in fact shut it off) to aid a Ukrainian attack on Russian warships near the Crimean coast.
Committee Chairman Jack
Reed (D-RI) said in a statement: “The reports on the use of Starlink
exposed serious national-security liability issues and the committee is engaged
on this issue. The committee is aggressively probing this issue from every
angle.”
Musk’s SpaceX also has
become a major U.S. contractor, launching spy satellites for DOD and operating
the Starlink network. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Sen. Reed further
said: “The committee would look at the broader satellite market, government
contracting and the outsized role Mr. Musk and his company have taken here. Neither
Elon Musk, nor any private citizen, can have the last word when it comes to U.S.
national security.”
Other Democratic
senators on the committee, including Jeanne Shaheen (NH); Elizabeth Warren (MA);
and Tammy Duckworth (IL) pressed Defense
Secretary Austin in a letter
for answers on why it was Musk and not a government official deciding when
Ukraine could use the satellite network, saying in part: “SpaceX is a prime
contractor and a critical industry partner for the DoD and the recipient of
billions of dollars in taxpayer funding. We are deeply concerned with the
ability and willingness of SpaceX to interrupt their service at Mr. Musk’s whim
and for the purpose of handcuffing a sovereign country’s self-defense,
effectively defending Russian interests.”
My 2 Cents on this update: Based on the original post that follows I say now as then that Elon Musk in my opinion certainly violated the LOGAN Act and should be charged accordingly since no one person should wield that kind of power on this critical topic and more so since billions of tax dollars to him and more importantly since lives are at stake.
Not punish him is to set a dangerous precedent to allow him to get away with that stunt he
pulled and then worse being praised by Putin.
THE ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS BELOW:
1st UPDATE NOTICE: This page has been updated. Refer to the
bottom of the page for the two added updates.
Original story from the Washington Post – with the headline and highlights below:
In October 2022, Musk said he would no longer pay for his Starlink satellite internet service to operate in Ukraine after officials blasted his controversial proposal for Ukraine to end the war by conceding Crimea to Russia and remaining neutral.
He never followed through on his threat, but he did call Putin directly reported on
by NEWSWEEK.
However, Musk did shut down the Starlink and that hampered a Ukraine military attack on Russia, and by doing so, he interfered in the war and that violates the “Logan Act”(CRS: Congressional Research Service since 1914).
That story about Musk cutting
Starlink to Ukraine as its military was attacking the Russian fleet.
The Washington Post article follows from here (highlighted
and formatted for the blog):
“Whatever the fuss over Elon Musk, Starlink is utterly essential in
Ukraine”
DNIPRO, Ukraine —
New details about how Elon Musk limited Starlink satellite internet service to
prevent Ukraine from attacking Russian ships in Crimea last year have provided
a stark reminder of how vital the service is to Kyiv’s forces — and how success
on the battlefield depends partly on the whims of a mercurial billionaire.
Musk’s company SpaceX dispatched Starlink terminals to
Ukraine after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, when Moscow quickly cut off
all other service. Ever since, the high-speed satellite terminals have formed
the backbone of the Ukrainian military’s digital communications.
The small Wi-Fi terminals are essential while many soldiers
say not having them would put their lives at risk. Modern war zones are awash
in digital communication, requiring fast, secure internet.
In Ukraine, Starlink’s data stream helps pipe in drone feeds
from across the battlefield, allowing commanders to view enemy forces in real
time and coordinate artillery strikes much faster than relaying the same
information over radios.
Officials have said here are some
42,000 Starlink terminals in Ukraine, which provide military, government, and
civilian communications as Russia relentlessly attacks civilian infrastructure.
The terminals are also playing an increasingly important
role in Ukraine’s counteroffensive, giving soldiers portable communication
options in rural areas along the southern front that are either too remote or
where cellular towers have been damaged and destroyed.
The terminals also provide connectivity for smartphones and tablets, which do everything from helping soldiers stay updated in group chats to running apps that help compute targeting information for howitzer batteries.
Soldiers often use the same Starlink-connected devices to communicate with
loved ones back home or abroad and to upload battlefield videos onto social
media.
In a recent operation in the northeast Luhansk region near
Russian lines, a Starlink terminal pumped Wi-Fi data for a three-man attack
drone team, allowing the pilot to monitor a group chat providing real-time
updates on enemy locations and movements.
Victor Stelmakh, the head of an attack drone unit in the
68th Jaeger Brigade, used that information to deploy several drones and drop
grenades on enemy positions. The strikes, which were observed by Washington
Post reporters, wounded several Russian soldiers.
The details about Musk’s role in limiting Starlink service are included in a new biography of the billionaire businessman by Walter Isaacson.
An excerpt from his book was
published in a Washington Post opinion article. The details from the book about
Musk’s role in cutting off Starlink were first reported by CNN.
The revelations in Isaacson’s book have reignited concerns about the influence
that SpaceX and Musk, as its owner, wield over the war in Ukraine.
In October 2022, armed sea
drones were poised to attack the Russian fleet, according to the biography.
Instead, the drones lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly because Musk
secretly ordered engineers to suspend Starlink service near Russian occupied
Crimea.
Ukrainian and U.S.
officials scrambled to get service restored, according to the book, appealing
to Musk directly. Musk eventually agreed, saying: “There was an emergency
request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to
Sevastopol.”
He was referring to the Crimean port city that has long been
the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Russia maintained the
headquarters under a lease agreement with Ukraine after the collapse of the
Soviet Union.
In a conversation
with Isaacson, Musk expressed reluctance that his service be used for such an
attack saying: “The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet
at anchor. If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly
complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”
Ukrainian officials note that Russia’s invasion of Crimea in
2014 and of the entirety of Ukraine in 2022 were illegal acts of aggression and
alleged war crimes under international law.
Mykhailo Podolyak,
adviser to President Zelensky, said: “Musk’s decision to sever Starlink
service near Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine has resulted in
the deaths of civilians.”
He then posted on “X” (formerly Twitter): “As a result,
civilians, children are being killed. This is the price of a cocktail of
ignorance and big ego. However, the question still remains: Why do some people
so desperately want to defend war criminals and their desire to commit murder?
And do they now realize that they are committing evil and encouraging evil?”
--------------------------------------------------------------
ADDED UPDATE:
1. Musk is seen avoiding SKY NEWS reporter questions [click here for short video clip].
2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MD) weighs in this issue reported on here from AXIOS.
My 2 Cents: I have nothing more to add to the above excellent
reporting – the contents above speak loudly.
Simply stated: Elon Musk
was legally way out of line – he must face legal justice.
Thanks for stopping by.
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