this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2026
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Ukraine

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Is Elon Musk using SpaceX to kneecap Starlink access in Ukraine on behalf of President Donald Trump?

A Ukrainian military official claimed Wednesday that Musk’s SpaceX had interrupted functioning of the country’s military-grade Starlink terminals, Reuters reported. Presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian defense forces “did not receive warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions.”

The disruption comes just days after Trump publicly criticized Ukraine for continuing to attack Russian oil refineries in the wake of the U.S. lifting sanctions on the sale of Russian oil, and called for the removal of  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Musk weighed in on Trump’s comments on social media Saturday, writing: “Zelensky has gone too far.”

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, whose country pays for Ukraine’s Starlink access, responded to reports of the disruption. 

“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again? As your European customers, we are watching you,” he wrote on X. Musk did not respond. 

If the disruption really is some kind of political intervention, this is only further proof that Europeans—or really, anyone in the world—cannot rely on any of Musk’s products, as they will be at the whims of the billionaire technocrat that still finds himself at Trump’s beck and call.

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[–] rethnor@lemmy.zip 1 points 22 hours ago

Mail saying sometime doesn't name it happen, how many people go along with this between the action being taken and musk saying something.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago

So now a narcissistic psychopath businessman who can't stop lying can decide the fate of an entire country that is under attack

Isn't 2026 magical?

[–] cheeseburger@lemmy.ca 108 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Absolutely insane that we can have an individual who owns and controls a global satellite network of thousands of nodes, and freely uses it to affect the lives of millions without oversight or consequence. Can't vote him out, can't stop it from floating over your country, or any country, can't do shit about it.

One stupid asshole gets all this power over Earth, because Americans allow him to have it.

[–] Malica@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

There's stuff we can do, we better get to it quick

[–] warm@kbin.earth 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Destroy the satellites. They have no jurisdiction up there.

[–] Eldritch@piefed.world 11 points 2 days ago (3 children)

De-orbit, sure. But any other destroying and you're just spreading the trash around. Possibly causing Kessler syndrome.

[–] ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com 11 points 2 days ago

Idk; I'm not so sure humanity deserves access to space right now... maybe we should have a little time out for a few centuries.

[–] Steve@startrek.website 6 points 2 days ago

Starlinks need active boosting to stay in orbit. Debris would self-deorbit in a few months.

[–] jmill@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Ah, but the ones de-orbiting as they age are the most likely cause of the ozone layer being destroyed faster than it regenerates again!

[–] Eldritch@piefed.world 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If the starlink trash starts kessler syndrome, a lot more stuff is gonna de orbit.

[–] Tabula_stercore@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

But it would prevent any new influx

[–] Pratai@piefed.ca 1 points 2 days ago

He can put twice as many up to replace them. Dude owns the planet. That’s pretty much it.

[–] HasturInYellow@lemmy.world 17 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Any country on the planet can feel free to assassinate him. Literally, anyone who wants to should feel entirely free to blast his plane out of the sky the second he comes into your airspace. Hell, send a hit squad to Austin and hunt him down in the streets. If you don't want one person to have that power, take it from him.

I really hope someone does it.

[–] RedGreenBlue@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 days ago

Someone should raid a starlink office and steal their keys and take over the network.

[–] Geobloke@aussie.zone 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Musk is in the Epstein files, albeit for the lamest reason so far

[–] Poppa_Mo@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Musk has been to plenty of Epstein's events. They're hanging on him "being a loser" and not being invited as a way to distance him from the worse shit the others are surely guilty of.

He's not any better, he's not innocent, he just has better PR and his narrative is sticking.

He's been around. He's been to Epstein's ranch.

[–] DillDough@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago

Everyone gets stuck on the begging part and fully misses the rest of the story. Musk still did pedophile shit with them, he even mentions it during one of his requests for an invite to the crazier pedo parties.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

Snorkeling?

[–] DonkeyStar@lemmy.world 32 points 2 days ago (1 children)

So twitter traffic did crater.

[–] fyzzlefry@retrolemmy.com 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Not if you listen to the .ml bots

[–] bitjunkie@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

Why would you do that?

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

Whats weird is during that 2 day respite, I actually saw 2 ML accounts saying normal things but also saying ml is quieter and full of Russian bots.

It was really weird and it happened multiple times.

[–] cinoreus@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Aand who the fuck is he to decide that?

[–] isles@infosec.pub 11 points 2 days ago

give all power to techno fascists

shocked pikachu when techno fascists exercise said power

[–] wirebeads@lemmy.ca 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I hope Musk gets slaughtered by the families who’s lost loved ones because of what he’s done.

I wish the absolute worst outcome to this triangle torpedo tittied cunthole.

[–] Ptsf@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Elon Musk’s private military consists of more than 400 individuals, most of them prior covert ops. I have the same hope that he’ll face responsibility, but it won’t be from acts of indivualized violence; He simply lives in a different world than you or I and is isolated from consquence.

[–] Nastybutler@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You shouldn't call Elon a cunt. He has neither the warmth nor depth

[–] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago

Nor the elasticity of being.

[–] mushroommunk@lemmy.today 30 points 3 days ago

Someone's mad they're taking away the bots praising him....

[–] CorrectAlias@piefed.blahaj.zone 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And yet, I've seen plenty of people online defending Starlink, even here.

Local county PUDs should have gotten all of the portion of Starlink's FCC grant, this billionaire nazi fuck can pay for it himself.

[–] CannonFodder@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The technology is great, it's the only way that many rural users can get high speed internet access. Europe needs to get its arse in gear and provide a non-American equivalent.

[–] CorrectAlias@piefed.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I'm aware that many rural users have no other option. However, fiber is a one time cost (for the most part), and if you have grid electricity, it can be brought to you. That's my point - the PUDs should have received the grant money to roll out fiber to more rural users. The rural parts of my county have done just that, rural users were the first to get publicly owned fiber drops because the county treats internet access as a utility.

It won't cover all bases, but again, if you have a grid connection, chances are that you could also have a subsidized fiber connection as well, if your county cares and if Musk wasn't given most of the rural internet grants from the FCC.

I wouldn't go as far to call the technology "great", either. Because the satellites are in LEO, they will eventually fall to earth, meaning they need constant replacement. All of those precious metals, burning up and falling back down to earth. Fiber only needs replacement when damaged, and even then, it's usually not much and is quickly fused back together. No rocket launch required.

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.cafe 5 points 2 days ago

“Only” way?

[–] deacon@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

Do not rely on any tech bros product, period. Nations are going to be nationalizing this shit stat.