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Tech billionaire Elon Musk has reignited debate over the war in Ukraine with a series of tweets claiming that his Starlink system is crucial to the country’s military operations and suggesting that sanctions on Ukrainian oligarchs could bring an end to the conflict.
In a provocative post on X, the world’s richest man and advisor to US President Donald Trump wrote, “I literally challenged Putin to one-on-one physical combat over Ukraine, and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.”
Musk, whose SpaceX provides satellite-based internet services to Ukraine, went on to express his frustration over the prolonged war, arguing that a military victory for Kyiv was unlikely. “What I am sickened by is years of slaughter in a stalemate that Ukraine will inevitably lose.”
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1898612062533956047
The comments from Musk were sparked by a tweet in which an X user urged him to look into the origin of funding for Ukraine, following the display of a massive Ukrainian flag outside the White House.
“Who paid for this MASSIVE Ukrainian flag that was unfurled in front of the White House today? How many hundreds of thousands did this cost? I guarantee you my tax dollars somehow funded this? @DOGE might need to have a look,” the post read.
Musk proposed an unconventional solution in response to the tweet, calling for sanctions on Ukrainian billionaires.
“Place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco, and this will stop immediately. That is the key to the puzzle,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1898608186858373428
Another user on X replied to the chain of tweets agreeing that sanctions should be placed on anyone involved in corruption but stressed that one shouldn’t ignore the fact that Putin is the aggressor.
“Ukraine is the victim. Knock it off with the nonsense. You seem focused on only criticising Ukraine but not Putin for some reason,” the user wrote.
Musk also added: “Anyone who really cares, really thinks and really understands wants the meat grinder to stop. PEACE NOW!!”
Ukraine’s fixed-line and mobile networks have been badly damaged by bombing since Russia invaded in February 2022, and Starlink has helped Kyiv by sending tens of thousands of its dishes with terminals.
Some are made available to civilians, but most are used by Ukraine’s armed forces, which also have to contend with heavy signal jamming and interception of communications.
Ukrainian units often talk to each other via Starlink, and its services have become virtually indispensable for battlefield command and control.
Musk, who saw a sudden rise in US politics as Trump’s close aide and confidant, had in 2022 challenged the Russian President to a fight. “I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat,” the eccentric billionaire had posted.
“If he is afraid to fight, I will agree to use only my left hand and I am not even left-handed,” he had wrote. Musk has also challenged Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to a combat. None of the bouts have materialised.
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