Has Ukraine failed to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet?, Putin likes! Musk refuses to activate the Starlink service
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised American entrepreneur Elon Musk as an "outstanding figure" and "genius businessman" during his attendance at the 8th Oriental Economic Forum in the Russian Far East city of Vladivostok on the 12th.
Reuters noted that Putin's praise came a few days ago when American media quoted excerpts from Musk's new biography, stating that Musk refused to activate Starlink satellite communication services in Crimea in September last year, resulting in Ukraine's failure to successfully launch a surprise attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Avoiding the "Little Pearl Harbor" incident
Putin talked about private enterprises and Musk at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum that day. Putin said, "Of course he is an outstanding figure. It must be acknowledged that he is recognized globally. He is an active and talented businessman. He has achieved success in many things, some of which have received support from the US government."
According to a biography published on the 12th, CNN reported that Musk is concerned that if the Russian Black Sea Fleet anchored in Sevastopol encounters the "Little Pearl Harbor" incident, Russia may retaliate with nuclear strikes. The report stated that at that time, the Ukrainian underwater unmanned boat carrying explosives disconnected from the Starlink and was "washed ashore.".
Regarding Musk's refusal to activate the Starchain service in the Crimea region, Dmitry Medvedev, Vice President of the Russian National Security Council, praised him as "the last person in North America with a full mind.".
Establishing a "rational example"
The space exploration technology company under the name of Musk is building a "star chain" network composed of nearly 20000 satellites in space to provide high-speed Internet access services from space to the earth. According to the Russian satellite news agency, there are currently approximately 4200 "Star Chain" satellites in orbit.
After the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis in February last year, Musk provided Ukraine with a large number of "Star Chain" terminals for free. The Ukrainian military uses the "Star Chain" to control drones for reconnaissance and strikes against the Russian military. According to the Associated Press, the US Department of Defense has provided funding to Space Exploration Technology Corporation and officially signed a contract to continue providing support to Ukraine.
However, Musk reiterated in February this year that "star chains" are not allowed for conflict escalation. He also suggested that in order to achieve peace, Crimea should stay in Russia; Ukraine should remain neutral and no longer seek to join the US led North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Mikhail Sheremet, a member of the Russian State Duma, said that Musk has set a "rational example" for Western politicians.
Blaming US sanctions
However, during a summit on artificial intelligence in Los Angeles, USA on the 12th, Musk said that if President Joseph Biden had directly requested him to activate the Crimean "Star Chain" service, he would have followed suit.
Musk said that the reason why Space Exploration Technology Company closed the Starlink service in the Crimea region is because the US sanctions on Russia cover the Crimea region. Space exploration technology companies are not allowed to activate Starlink services in sanctioned areas without obtaining approval from the US government.
Moreover, the Ukrainian side did not inform him in advance of the plan to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to Musk, the Ukrainian government called urgently in the middle of the night, demanding that Space Exploration Technology activate the Starchain network in the Crimea region.
Musk emphasized that the Ukrainian government does not regulate American citizens or businesses.