Zelensky calls on Musk to reactivate "Starlink" network
Amman2 min read
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded on Wednesday that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reactivate the "Starlink" satellite network, after Kyiv complained about the slowing speed of the system it relies on in the war against Russian forces.
In an interview with journalist Piers Morgan, excerpts of which were published online, Zelensky said in response to a question about the message he would like to send to "Starlink" head Elon Musk: "People will die, of course, if the attacks continue and if 'Starlink' does not work." He added, "I really hope it is just a mistake, perhaps a major technical problem, I don't know, but we are asking for the service to be reactivated."
Zelensky considered the cutting off of "Starlink," used for communications on the battlefronts in Ukraine, a "grave mistake."
Ukraine accused the United States on Wednesday of helping Russia, saying that Washington failed to warn it of missile strikes and slowed down the "Starlink" system that Kyiv relies on for its field communications and logistical operations at the front lines.
A senior Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday, requesting anonymity, that the United States is helping Russia, adding, "We have not received warnings from Washington in two cases so far regarding the launch of Russian ballistic missiles in a large-scale ballistic attack on the energy sector." He continued, "Furthermore, the Americans reduced the speed of the Starlink network."
One of Zelensky's technical advisors also said on Wednesday that the restrictions imposed on the operation of Starlink internet terminals prevented Ukraine from countering jet-powered drones, following a night of large-scale Russian attacks across the country.
Serhiy Beskrestnov said in a post on Telegram, "Through these actions, our partners are depriving us of one of the few means available to us to defend the country against Shahed drones that operate with jet engines."
