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SpaceX has moved to limit the Ukrainian navy’s use of its satellite tv for pc web service, notably used to manage drones, as Kyiv fights towards Russia’s full-scale invasion, the corporate’s president stated Wednesday.
The U.S. house firm, based by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has been offering web to Ukraine since final February by means of its Starlink satellite tv for pc system.
That service, which has been utilized by the Ukrainian navy to manage drones, was “by no means meant to be weaponized,” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell stated at an occasion in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, in keeping with Reuters.
“Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways in which have been unintentional and never a part of any settlement,” she added.
SpaceX has taken steps to restrict the Ukrainian military’s potential to make use of its web for drone management, Shotwell stated, with out detailing what the concrete measures have been.
Simply days after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which got here with an array of cyberattacks towards the nation’s infrastructure, SpaceX moved to attach Ukraine to its satellite tv for pc web community, permitting on-line entry with out the necessity for fiber cables.
However Musk raised considerations in Kyiv and amongst Western allies final October after he tweeted a collection of Kremlin speaking factors, presenting them as a peace plan. Later in October, Musk additionally stated he was now not keen to pay for the Starlink web terminals in Ukraine, asking the U.S. Division of Protection to take over accountability as a substitute.
Musk has are available for direct criticism from Ukrainian troops over the SpaceX chief’s comment on Wednesday.
“After Elon Musk dominated out the potential for utilizing Starlinks as a component of Ukraine’s protection (communication with drones), he can now not discuss values and democracy. By reducing off a sure alternative for Ukrainians to defend themselves — Musk instantly kills Ukrainians,” Ukrainian serviceman Vitaly Ovcharenko stated in a Twitter statement.
Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov advised POLITICO: “Thus far, there are not any issues with the operation of Starlink terminals in Ukraine. Mainly immediately we’ve obtained the primary few thousand Starlinks from a brand new batch of 10,000 units from the German authorities.”
Fedorov added that Starlink helps “save hundreds of lives each day. The vitality infrastructure continues to work as a consequence of Starlink. Docs carry out complicated surgical procedures because of the connection that Starlink offers … Elon Musk is among the greatest non-public donors of our future victory.”
Veronika Melkozerova contributed reporting.
This story has been up to date.
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