Elon Musk Secretly Manipulated Starlink to Hamstring Ukrainian Attack Against Russia

"How am I in this war?"

Lost Connectivity

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk intentionally hamstrung the space company's Starlink satellite network to thwart a Ukrainian attack on Russia's naval fleet near the Crimean coast, according to a new biography of the billionaire by author Walter Isaacson.

It's a shocking new revelation that paints a troubling picture of Musk's alliances. It also goes to show the immense amount of power Musk holds over international conflict — a terrifying prospect, given his often kneejerk and infamously unpredictable nature.

Power Broker

Ukrainian submarine drones were about to rush a Russian fleet in a harbor but "lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly," Isaacson wrote in his new book titled "Elon Musk," which is due to be released next week.

Meanwhile, Musk backed up his decision, citing the dangers of triggering a "mini-Pearl Harbor" and arguing that Russia may have responded to the attack with nuclear weapons.

In early 2022, SpaceX started shipping out tens of thousands of Starlink terminals to Ukrainians on the front lines, giving them almost unfettered connectivity.

Musk, however, soon became weary of the increasing bills SpaceX had to shoulder, tweeting that it was "unreasonable" for the company to keep supporting the growing data usage.

He also reportedly met with Russian president Vladimir Putin, according to a recent New Yorker feature, which may have further shifted his motivations — though Musk later denied that claim.

Drone's Disease

Starlink quickly became an important military asset for Ukrainian warfighters, a reality that clearly caught Musk by surprise.

"How am I in this war?" he asked Isaacson. "Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes."

But whether he wants to be or not, Musk has become an important power broker in the conflict — a strange development that's now affecting us all, whether we like it or not.

More on  the situation: Elon Musk Is Apparently Making the US Government Quite Nervous