Reuters: Musk's Decision On Ukraine Shocked His Employees
- 25.07.2025, 16:56
The new media information contradicts the billionaire's previous statements.
SpaceX and Tesla CEO Ilon Musk nearly thwarted a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall of 2022 by restricting the operation of Starlink satellite terminals in parts of Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters on Friday, July 25.
Three knowledgeable interlocutors told Reuters that Musk ordered a senior engineer at SpaceX's California office to stop coverage in areas such as the Kherson region, which Ukraine was trying to reclaim at the time. After receiving the order, a Starlink engineer said "we have to do this," and employees shut down at least a hundred Starlink terminals, Reuters writes.
The company's move also affected other occupied territories, including parts of the Donetsk region. A Ukrainian military officer, an adviser in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two other sources confirmed to Reuters that the Defense Forces faced a sudden communications blackout.
"Soldiers panicked, drones monitoring Russian troops went offline, and long-range artillery units relying on Starlink for guidance had difficulty hitting targets," the investigation said.
As a result, Ukrainian forces were unable to encircle Russian positions in Berislav in the Kherson region - "the encirclement has completely stalled," one military officer told Reuters.
In the end, Ukraine managed to liberate Berislav, Kherson and some other occupied territories, but Musk's previously unknown order was the first known instance of him shutting down Starlink over a battlefield during the war.
"The decision shocked some Starlink employees and effectively changed the front line, allowing Musk to take 'the outcome of the war into his own hands,' another of the three sources said," Reuters writes.
This information contradicts previous statements by Musk, who claimed that "we would never do that." The billionaire himself and the engineer who received the order did not respond to the agency's request for comment. A SpaceX spokesman said in an email that the Reuters data was "inaccurate" and referred to an X post from last year that Starlink was "fully committed to providing services to Ukraine." The company did not respond to additional questions from reporters.
The Ukrainian president's office and the Defense Ministry also did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.