Ukraine’s use of SpaceX satellites risks starting World War Three, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk has warned that Ukraine's use of his Starlink satellite internet system risks sparking World War Three and said that supporting the country's struggle poses an “extremely difficult moral question”.

The SpaceX chief executive made his comments on Twitter in response to a plea from a former International Space Station commander who begged him to keep Starlink switched on in the war-torn country.

Mr Musk, the world’s second richest person, said: “SpaceX commercial terminals, like other commercial products, are meant for private use, not military, but we have not exercised our right to turn them off.

“We’re trying hard to do the right thing, where the ‘right thing’ is an extremely difficult moral question.

“Starlink is the communication backbone of Ukraine, especially at the front lines, where almost all other Internet connectivity has been destroyed. But we will not enable escalation of conflict that may lead to WW3.”

Starlink is a connectivity service where orbiting satellites are used together with portable dishes on the ground to give internet access to its users, and has been a vital tool in Ukraine's fight for survival since Russia destroyed much of its infrastructure.

Conflicting reports suggest some of Starlink’s functions may have been cut off in Ukraine over the past few months.

In response to astronaut Scott Kelly’s social media plea to “restore the full functionality of your Starlink satellites” Mr Musk said: “You’re smart enough not to swallow media & other propaganda bs.”

Mr Kelly had implored the Tesla boss to keep Starlink switched on in Ukraine, saying: “Defence from a genocidal invasion is not an offensive capability. It’s survival. Innocent lives will be lost. You can help. Thank you.”

Mr Musk’s ambiguous comments about Ukraine are the latest in a long line of statements and social media posts suggesting he sees the war as a drag on Starlink.

Last week, the billionaire – who is president of SpaceX, the company which provides the Starlink service – accused Ukraine of “weaponising” the satellite internet service.

Gwynne Shotwell said: “Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement.”

Mr Musk tweeted a “peace plan” for Ukraine last October, suggesting it should re-run sovereignty referendums in regions occupied by the Russian invaders – a tactic used by Russia to legitimise its occupation of the Crimea, Luhansk and Kherson regions.

The Kremlin thanked Mr Musk for the suggestion, saying it was a “positive” move.

Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany tweeted “f— off” at Musk, while President Volodymyr Zelensky started a Twitter poll asking “Which Elon Musk do you like more” with the options “one who supports Ukraine” and “one who supports Russia”.

Mr Musk has previously said donating Starlink connectivity to Ukraine has cost SpaceX around $100m (£82m). Governments including the US have stepped up to cover the service’s ongoing costs.