A Ukrainian presidential adviser attributes civilian deaths to a blend of ignorance and a large ego
A high-ranking Ukrainian official has alleged that Elon Musk engaged in “wrongful actions” following revelations from a new biography. The biography disclosed that Musk ordered the shutdown of his Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian warships, resulting in civilian casualties. Mykhailo Podolyak, a presidential adviser, criticized Musk’s actions on X, a social media platform owned by Musk, attributing the civilian deaths to a combination of ignorance and a large ego.
Elon Musk’s decision to prevent Ukrainian drones from targeting a portion of the Russian fleet through Starlink interference enabled this fleet to launch Kalibr missiles at Ukrainian cities, leading to the deaths of civilians, including children,” Podolyak stated. “Why are certain individuals so determined to support war criminals and their intentions to inflict harm? Do they now comprehend that they are endorsing wrongdoing and promoting malevolence?”
Musk justified his choice, explaining that he wished to avoid his SpaceX company having a direct involvement in a significant act of war and the escalation of conflict.
The upcoming biography, set for release on Tuesday, claims that Musk instructed Starlink engineers to deactivate the service in the attack zone due to his apprehension that Vladimir Putin might react with nuclear weapons if Ukraine attacked Russian-occupied Crimea.
Additionally, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov revealed to the Financial Times on Friday that Musk had shared confidential communications with Walter Isaacson concerning military access to Starlink without Fedorov’s authorization.
Fedorov remarked to the Financial Times, “It’s an unpleasant situation. I’ve never disclosed or discussed our private correspondence in public
Musk, who serves as both the CEO of the Tesla electric car company and the head of SpaceX, a manufacturer of rockets and spacecraft, initially consented to provide Starlink equipment to Ukraine following Russia’s comprehensive invasion that disrupted Ukrainian communications. However, he apparently reconsidered his decision after Kyiv managed to fend off the initial Russian attack and initiated a counteroffensive.
Musk has previously engaged in a social media dispute with Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, regarding his proposals for resolving Russia’s invasion.
In October of the previous year, Musk put forward a peace proposal that involved conducting annexation referendums in Moscow-occupied Ukrainian regions under UN oversight, recognizing Russian sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula, and granting Ukraine a neutral status.
Initial analysis indicates that the influence and reach of Kremlin-affiliated accounts have continued to expand during the first half of 2023, particularly due to the relaxation of Twitter’s safety standards.
Furthermore, the European Union has accused Musk’s platform, X, of permitting the dissemination of Russian propaganda related to Ukraine on its website.
A recent report published by the European Commission, the governing body of the European Union, revealed that “the extent and impact of accounts associated with the Kremlin have expanded even more in the initial half of 2023.”
The report highlighted that the augmented dissemination of Russian propaganda on the internet was mainly due to Twitter, where user engagement surged by 36% following CEO Elon Musk’s decision to relax restrictions on Kremlin-linked accounts.
Musk made an effort to challenge the EU report on Friday, posting on his social media platform: “Where is this pro-Russian propaganda everyone’s talking about? We’re not observing it
