U.S. Media: Musk Refuses to Allow Ukraine to Use Starlink to Strike Targets Within Russia

On July 7, U.S. media disclosed that Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, explicitly refused to allow the Ukrainian military to use the companys satellite internet system, Starlink, to strike targets inside Russia. The Atlantic magazine reported, citing two associates of former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, that Reznikov had been advocating for the use of Starlink to target Russia and had attempted to reach out to Musk through private channels, but was met with refusal. "As of now, no decision to permit this has been made," the report stated. Musks refusal for Ukraine to use Starlink for deep strikes against Russia stemmed from concerns about escalating the crisis further. After the Ukrainian crisis escalated in 2022, Musk had provided Ukraine with tens of thousands of Starlink terminals for free. However, he later frequently clashed with Ukraine's side, urging them to reach a peace agreement with Russia.