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A recent report in the New Yorker sheds light on the significant impact that Elon Musk has had on the U.S. government, specifically regarding his efforts to provide Starlink communications technology to Ukraine. The article reveals that as Musk’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin grew closer, the Starlink service began to experience outages for Ukrainian troops.

According to a defense official interviewed for the report, it was inferred that Musk became concerned about Starlink’s involvement being seen as supporting the Ukrainian war effort in Russia. Hence, he sought ways to appease Russian concerns. This shift in public support from Ukraine to Russia, and the subsequent impact on the service, is a central focus of the article.

Starlink, a satellite-based internet connectivity product offered by one of Musk’s companies, SpaceX, utilizes a network of deployable terminals to provide internet connectivity in areas with weak or nonexistent connectivity.

At the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Musk sent terminals to the front lines. However, he soon expressed dissatisfaction with the cost of deployment. According to the article, Ukrainian forces experienced service interruptions at critical moments. For example, one soldier claimed that the Starlink service stopped working when they crossed into disputed territory in southern Ukraine, leading to chaos.

The outages occurred during frontline breaches and battles in cities such as Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Frantic negotiations ensued between Ukrainian officials and Musk, who had been providing the service without a formal contract.

The New Yorker reported that Ukrainian expats who had raised funds for Starlink units received frantic calls for help. The urgency was intensified by the escalating death toll. The Ukrainian government official pleaded for immediate assistance from Elon Musk.

There were subsequent meetings within the U.S. Defense Department to determine the best course of action. It became apparent that a contractual relationship with Musk needed to be established, as it was suspected that SpaceX had used geofencing to restrict service access to certain areas.

Ultimately, backchannel negotiations between Musk and the Pentagon led to an agreement not to further disrupt the service. In October 2022, Musk tweeted his commitment to funding the Ukrainian government, despite Starlink’s financial losses, while criticizing other companies that received significant taxpayer funding.

In June, the Defense Department announced the signing of a contract with SpaceX, ensuring a more stable provision of the Starlink service. This episode underscores the extent of Musk’s influence within the U.S. government.

Ronan Farrow, the reporter who wrote the article, revealed that a Pentagon spokesman indicated they would only grant an interview about Musk’s role in Ukraine with his permission. It highlights Musk’s power and involvement in shaping government decisions pertaining to important technological initiatives.

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