Ukraine war: Starlink has power to influence outcome

By Imisioluwa Afunmiso

Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, has acknowledged that his satellite internet service, Starlink, has the capacity to influence the war in Ukraine by determining which users remain connected to the network.

Speaking during an interview with The Economist, Musk disclosed that Starlink terminals illegally diverted into Russian-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine had been used by Russian forces for military operations, prompting the company to work with the Ukrainian government to restrict access.

According to him, Starlink devices originally supplied through Ukraine were smuggled into territories controlled by Russian forces and subsequently used in some attacks.

“They essentially got Starlink units that they ordered through Ukraine and then smuggled them into eastern Ukraine where the Russians are, and were then using them in some cases for attacks,” Musk said.

He explained that Starlink responded by creating a white list of approved Starlink terminals in collaboration with Kyiv to prevent unauthorised use.

Musk, however, admitted that the measure also affected civilians who depended on the satellite internet service for work, communication and education.

“This has some downsides because a whole bunch of people who were just innocent users of Starlink and just trying to access the Internet for work or for education now don’t have Starlink,” he said.

When asked whether it was appropriate for a private individual to wield such influence over an active conflict, Musk did not directly respond to the question but instead reiterated his call for a negotiated settlement to the war.

“I do hope that there’s some sort of peace agreement reached soon, because for two or three years now, the border has barely moved, and every day there are lots of people dying at the front line,” he said.

The billionaire criticised what he described as unrealistic expectations among some Western officials regarding Ukraine’s prospects of reclaiming all occupied territories, arguing that continued fighting would only result in more casualties.

“I am quite offended by sort of fancy diplomats who have seven course dinners in luxurious places while people are dying at the front lines and who pontificate about how Russia should withdraw, but they’re not going,” Musk said. “Russia’s not going to withdraw. So there really needs to be an accepted peace along those lines.”

Responding to suggestions that his comments favoured Russia, Musk said his position was based on pragmatism rather than support for Moscow.

“This is not me being pro Russia. I’m just being pragmatic, or people will die for years with nothing achieved,” he said.

Despite advocating peace talks, Musk maintained that Starlink had played a critical role in Ukraine’s defence since Russia’s invasion, noting that the Ukrainian government had publicly acknowledged the satellite network’s contribution to maintaining communications during the conflict.