The Ukrainian military's increasing reliance on Starlink is more evident than ever, raising concerns about its creator.
Last year, Musk admitted that he blocked the use of Starlink as part of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian naval base in Crimea, which the Kremlin annexed in 2014. His comments sparked outrage in Kiev and an inquiry in the US Senate.
Elon Musk.credit: Bloomberg
Musk said on the All-In Podcast that he would have expanded Starlink to Ukrainians in Crimea if US President Joe Biden had asked him to do so, but has issued no such directive. He said Starlink was originally shut down in Crimea due to US sanctions on Russia.
Officials said concerns about Starlink come as Russian forces launched 45 drones over Ukraine on Sunday in a barrage that lasted five and a half hours.
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that it shot down 40 Iranian-made Shahed drones over nine different regions, including the outskirts of the capital, Kiev.
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Ukrainian Southern Defense Forces officials wrote in a telegram that the attack, which lasted five and a half hours, targeted agricultural facilities and coastal infrastructure. They said that an air strike in the Mykolaiv region injured one person, causing a fire and damage to nearby residential buildings.
Another person was injured in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region when a fire broke out due to falling debris from a destroyed drone, said Serhiy Lysak, head of the region's military administration.
Moldova's border police also said on Sunday that fragments of a “witness-type drone” had been found near the southern town of Itolia, close to the border with Ukraine, but that the wreckage did not pose any danger to nearby communities.
The border police said in a statement, referring to the attacks launched by Russian forces on Friday night in the Ukrainian Izmail region: “There is suspicion that the drone debris that was discovered is one of the drones shot down by the Ukrainian anti-aircraft system.”
The distance between Aetolia and Ismail is about 40 kilometers.
Authorities said access to the impact site was restricted.
Moldova's President Maia Sandu responded to the incident by saying in a post on the social media platform
“The discovery of the wreckage of a witness drone in southern Moldova today is another stark reminder of the grim reality we face,” she said.
The remains of a witness drone that crashed near Itolia, Moldova, near the border between Moldova and Ukraine.credit: AP
Russian aggression puts the entire continent at risk. Support for Ukraine must continue.”
Bloomberg, AP
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