Ukraine has not received permission to use Starlink for strikes against Russia: Musk is against it, - media
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is opposed to Ukraine using Starlink to strike targets deep inside Russia.
According to Censor.NET, The Kyiv Independent reported this on 31 August.
Musk does not want an escalation
According to one of the publication’s sources, Musk does not believe that Ukraine’s use of Starlink for operations on Russian territory will help bring the war to an end.
"Musk wants a deal in this war, not an escalation," the source said.
Prior to this, the Financial Times reported that Musk was allegedly prepared to allow Ukraine to use drones with Starlink to strike targets in Russia. However, according to the publication, the final decision was to be a political one and required White House approval.
The Kyiv Independent reports that Musk’s talks with Ukraine’s former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, on this issue were unsuccessful. Following these talks, Musk reportedly decided not to grant Ukraine permission for such operations.
What is known about Starlink over Russia
On 22 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, due to a misunderstanding between the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, Musk and US President Donald Trump, Kyiv had mistakenly believed that Musk had already agreed to the use of Starlink over Russia.
Subsequently, according to Zelenskyy, it transpired that Musk had not granted such authorisation.
Ukraine is already using drones equipped with Starlink to strike targets in the occupied territories. However, the terminals do not operate over Russian territory.
Kyiv is considering the possibility of using Starlink in Russia, in particular to rapidly neutralise Russian ballistic missile launchers.
