Elon Musk cited the reason for refusing to deploy the Starlink network over Crimea

American entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk has linked his refusal to include Starlink satellite communication in the vicinity of the Crimean Peninsula for Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian Navy ships to U.S. sanctions against Russia, which prohibited him from doing so.

Earlier, CNN reported that Musk had decided to restrict the operation of the Starlink satellite internet near Crimea, thereby thwarting a Ukrainian attack on the Russian Navy. This information was attributed to his biography by Walter Isaacson, which was released on September 12. Musk later denied this report, stating that the system was not actually activated but they were asked to activate it.

“The reason Starlink was turned off was initially because the United States imposed sanctions against Russia. These sanctions include Crimea and we are not allowed to establish connections,” Musk said during an online technology development conference.

He added that to enable Starlink to work over Crimea, he needed permission from the U.S. government, which the company did not have at the time of Ukraine’s request.

“We just received urgent calls from the Ukrainian government asking for the connection to be turned on,” he clarified.

At the same time, the entrepreneur admitted that he would have been willing to activate Starlink over Crimea if he had received a “directive” from U.S. President Joe Biden.

Musk also compared a potential attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Russian Navy in Crimea to Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, stating that it would be a “tactical victory” leading to a “strategic defeat” for Tokyo in World War II.

Previously, Musk had stated that SpaceX had not promised coverage over Crimea, emphasizing that he wanted to “help people, not kill them.” He also stated that he would not allow the use of Starlink satellites for escalating conflicts that could lead to a third world war. Musk had previously written that the terms of use of the Starlink service prohibited its use for offensive military actions and Ukrainians who requested its activation for an attack against Russia were going against this prohibition.

Starlink is a next-generation satellite network designed to provide broadband internet access anywhere on the planet. Currently, there are approximately 4,200 Starlink satellites in orbit.