- The Ukrainian territory has suffered failures with the satellite Internet provided by SpaceX and several rumors have emerged about a possible withdrawal of the company's support to the country.

SpaceX has already donated 20,000 satellite units that have cost 80 million dollars. / Starlink

Musk denies backing down from helping Ukraine with Starlink for fear of retaliation from Putin

Starlink's satellite internet suffered from several widespread blackouts in Ukraine due to its war with Russia. According to the Ukrainian authorities, communication had been restored in the Ukrainian territory liberated from Russian occupation.

Some officials in the country communicated their suspicions that the problems with Starlink could be the result of geographical restrictions imposed by SpaceX and not caused by the conflict with Russia. "If he did, this would be unacceptable, as it means he has taken a direct part in the war by damaging our capabilities," said Andriy Zagorodnyuk, a former Ukrainian defense minister.

Satellite donations in the war

Elon Musk donated some 20,000 Starlink satellite units to Ukraine earlier this year following the Russian incursion into the territory. This operation had cost SpaceX “80 million dollars” and the tycoon expected the figure to exceed 100 million dollars before 2023.

Bad reporting by FT. This article falsely claims that Starlink terminals & service were paid for, when only a small percentage have been.

This operation has cost SpaceX $80M & will exceed $100M by end of year.

As for what’s happening on the battlefield, that’s classified.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2022

However, documents from last month to which CNN has had access ensure that the aerospace company's contributions could end. The news outlet reports that SpaceX would end charitable service in Ukraine if the Pentagon does not agree to take over, putting up tens of millions of dollars a month.

"We are not in a position to continue donating terminals to Ukraine or to fund existing terminals for an indefinite period of time," the company's director of government sales wrote to the US Army. In the letter, he calculated that SpaceX's service expenses in the country would cost more than 120 million dollars during the rest of the year and that it could rise to almost 400 million in the next 12 months.

Rumors of fear that Russia will retaliate

According to a person CNN lists as "familiar" with the matter, "Ukraine knows that its current government and wartime efforts are totally dependent on Starlink." The source affirms that the decision whether or not to keep Starlink operating in the territory depends on Elon Musk: "He has not been chosen, nobody decided to give him that power. He has it because of the technology and the company he built."

The importance of SpaceX's satellite Internet is such that Musk confirmed that the US Ministry of Defense had asked him to activate it in Crimea, a territory invaded and annexed by Russia in 2014. Ian Bremmer, a political analyst at the Eurasia Group, explains that Musk had talked to Putin and that he was "prepared to negotiate".

In that conversation, Bremmer details that Putin allegedly threatened to use nuclear weapons if Ukraine tried to take back Crimea. However, Musk has denied that the meeting took place: "I have spoken with Putin only once and it was about 18 months ago. The subject was space."

Hi @elonmusk Is this true?https://t.co/C4tLJ1HtPy

— Sven Henrich (@NorthmanTrader) October 11, 2022

Faced with the statements of Mykhailo Federov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, about the importance of Starlink, Musk responded positively. "Delighted to support Ukraine," he tweeted alongside a chart of Starlink's data usage growth in the territory.

 

Over 100 cruise missiles attacked 🇺🇦 energy and communications infrastructure. But with Starlink we quickly restored the connection in critical areas. Starlink continues to be an essential part of critical infrastructure.

— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) October 12, 2022

Read this also: Musk Asks The Pentagon To Pay For SpaceX To Continue Donating Satellites To Ukraine