Musk says he will continue to finance Starlink in Ukraine
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“To hell with it… even though Starlink is still losing money and other companies are getting billions of taxpayer dollars, we’ll just keep funding the govt of Ukraine for free,” Musk wrote.
Read also: After backlash on Twitter, Musk says he "still supports Ukraine", but fears escalation
Earlier, it was reported that Musk's SpaceX had told the Pentagon that it could no longer finance the operation of the Starlink communication system in Ukraine. Later, Musk confirmed the information that he no longer plans to fund Starlink services for Ukraine for free.
The billionaire's company said it needed to spend about $120 million by the end of the year. Funding for 2023 is estimated at $400 million.
According to the Associated Press, SpaceX is proposing that the Pentagon take over funding for Starlink in Ukraine.
Starlink is one of the factors that has given Ukraine the military edge over Russia’s larger, but less well equipped military, experts say.
The systems provides the Ukrainian army with secure communications throughout the country.
However, it has been reported that the system has not been working properly in areas of Ukraine that have recently been liberated from Russian occupation, in both the north and south of Ukraine.
Some experts have said the problems are of an entirely technical nature, with the system not having been calibrated to operate in areas occupied by Russia in order not to provide them with access, should they capture one of Ukraine’s Starlink terminals.
Read also: Starlink problems not related to Elon Musk, says Israeli military expert
However, recent statements by Musk, including a “peace plan” that echoes many of Russia’s key demands, have made some in Ukraine and allied countries wary of Musk’s motives and affiliations.
Musk, however, has since said he supports Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
