Russian region bans Musk's Starlink
The head of Russia's Lugansk People's Republic has banned all products from Elon Musk's company SpaceX, including equipment for the Starlink satellite internet system, citing security concerns.
'Starlink technology can be used by the enemy to coordinate its actions, transfer data and deliver strikes on our territory. We cannot afford to ignore this threat,' Leonid Pasechnik said Thursday on social media.
The border region, formerly part of Ukraine, declared independence following the Western-backed 2014 coup in Kiev and later voted to join Russia.
Russian officials have voiced concerns that Starlink is not a purely civilian technology and could be used for military purposes since before the ongoing crisis.
Musk began supplying Starlink terminals to Ukraine after the conflict escalated in 2022. He claimed the service was resistant to Russian jamming efforts.
Satellite communications via Starlink have enabled Ukrainian forces to weaponize industrial-grade drones that can carry the terminals and be piloted remotely from a large distance.
Musk said back in 2023 that he had rejected a Ukrainian request to activate Starlink over Crimea, which he interpreted as preparation for strikes on the Russian naval base in Sevastopol.
'If I had agreed to their request, then SpaceX would be explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation,' he said at the time.
During the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, Musk faced calls to 'put the final nail in the coffin of the Iranian regime' by providing Starlink services 'to the Iranian people' – a scenario apparently intended to instigate an uprising.
Musk replied with 'the beams are on.' Reza Pahlavi, the son of the pro-Western monarch of Iran ousted by the 1979 revolution who advocates for regime change in Tehran, responded, 'Thank you, Elon.'
Subsequently, the US joined Israel in conducting airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. President Donald Trump subsequently urged both nations to agree to a truce.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine's economy on brink of collapse
Ukraine's economy is teetering on the edge of a complete collapse as it faces the possibility of a drastic decrease in Western aid and fading chances of a ceasefire anytime soon, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Many Ukrainians had hoped for a swift end to the conflict after US President Donald Trump took office. However, those expectations have crumbled as his push for a settlement has stalled, threatening to pull down Ukraine's already fragile economy, the article says. The Ukrainian economy remains afloat largely due to extensive Western financial backing. However, officials and analysts interviewed by the paper warn that current aid levels may not be enough to sustain the state in the near future. According to the Post, the only significant investment initiative in sight is a deal that gives the US priority access to Ukrainian natural resources, but it is still years away from implementation. Encouraged by Trump's pledges, private investors initially positioned themselves for a post-conflict reconstruction boom, but the optimism soon soured due to the slow progress towards peace. 'The ceasefire was at the heart of all economic forecasts, that it could come somewhere in mid-2025,' a senior Ukrainian official told WaPo. 'A positive impact on the economy this year is no longer being considered,' he added, noting, though, that 2026 remains a potential turning point. Last week, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky appealed to Western donors for $40 billion annually in budgetary support. Western aid is predominantly being used to cover education and social welfare expenses. However, Ukrainian officials told the outlet that next year the mechanism will only cover about half of Kiev's most urgent needs. Moreover, Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko warned that even if the conflict ends soon, the government would likely have to cut billions in expenditures, although experts warn that Kiev has little scope to reduce costs in healthcare or education. In May, Marchenko warned that Ukraine would be unable to repay its foreign creditors in the next 30 years. He added, however, that Kiev intends to continue borrowing. Ukraine's public debt is approaching 100% of GDP. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Ukraine would collapse within weeks without continued Western military and financial support.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Iran truce could inspire Ukraine peace
A ceasefire between Iran and Israel, declared this week after a brief escalation, could influence the Ukraine conflict, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff has said, expressing hope for renewed peace efforts between Kiev and Moscow. The hostilities began on June 13 when Israel launched strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran was close to developing a nuclear bomb – allegations denied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and US intelligence. The US joined the campaign – which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a step to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons – by striking Iranian nuclear sites. A ceasefire brokered by Washington came into effect on Tuesday. In a CNBC interview on Wednesday, Witkoff said the truce could serve as a model for resolving other conflicts. 'We are hopeful that this will lead to some very, very, very good things happening in the Russia-Ukraine resolution.' Russia has criticized the US bombing campaign, calling it a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law. The Foreign Ministry warned that these actions risk further destabilizing the region. Witkoff was reportedly instrumental in brokering the ceasefire after a brief but intense conflict between Iran and Israel that left hundreds dead in Iran, 25 in Israel, and thousands injured on both sides, according to official sources. He has also been a key figure behind kickstarting the Ukraine peace process. Russia and Ukraine resumed direct talks in Türkiye last month, reviving a diplomatic process that was paused by Kiev in 2022 after it opted to pursue victory on the battlefield with Western assistance. At their most recent meeting on June 2, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange prisoners and presented draft memorandums outlining their visions for a peace agreement. However, each side currently views the other's terms as unacceptable. Russia has stressed that any lasting agreement must reflect the current battlefield realities and Ukrainian neutrality. Trump, who vowed during the 2024 presidential election campaign to resolve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours, recently described the promise as 'sarcastic.' He has repeatedly voiced frustration with both sides, warning that the US could impose sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine if the conflict does not come to an end soon.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Bezos trying to cash in on Musk-Trump falling out
US billionaire Jeff Bezos is seeking to secure more government contracts for his space company, Blue Origin, in an effort to capitalize on the feud between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Bezos reportedly met the US president at least twice in June, while the space technology company's CEO, Dave Limp, visited the White House to hold talks with Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles. The reported efforts come shortly after a dramatic public rift earlier this month between Musk and Trump over the president's tax and spending bill. The spat escalated into an exchange of jabs on social media. Bezos's Blue Origin and Musk's SpaceX have been competing with each other for years, the newspaper noted, emphasizing that SpaceX pulled far ahead after it began launching rockets at a record pace and became the main contractor for NASA. Earlier this year, SpaceX secured a major $5.9 billion deal with the US Space Force for 28 flights planned for the years ahead. Another provider, United Launch Alliance, was awarded a $5.3 billion contract for 19 missions, while Blue Origin received $2.4 billion for seven launches. According to the WSJ, Trump and Bezos discussed the president's desire to see a crewed mission to the Moon during his term in office. Sources also told the paper that the businessman even invited Trump to his wedding this weekend in Venice. Trump reportedly declined due to scheduling conflicts. The dispute between Musk and Trump, who were once close allies, occurred after former stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk repeatedly criticized Trump's tax and spending bill, arguing that it undermined his efforts to cut waste from the federal budget. Musk accused Trump of 'ingratitude,' while backing calls for his impeachment and threatening to hamstring the US space program by grounding the Dragon spacecraft. Trump fired back, saying Musk had 'gone crazy' and blamed the spat on the end of the EV mandate – a reference to federal incentives that had benefited Tesla. Musk responded with a now-deleted post that linked Trump to deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later said that he regrets some of his posts about Trump, adding that the comments went too far.
