Governments Pressure Elon Musk to Turn His Assets Against Russia, He Tells Them to Bring a Gun Next Time
SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday that he pushed back when encouraged by governments he did not name to block Russa’s news outlets.
Russia last week passed a law that can be enforced to put journalists of any media outlet in the country that says what Russia does not want said about its invasion of Ukraine in jail for up to 15 years.
While Musk has made it clear his sympathies are with the Ukrainian government and its people, he is determined to keep his company’s Starlink internet system independent of any government control.
“Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint. Sorry to be a free speech absolutist,” he tweeted.
Starlink has been told by some governments (not Ukraine) to block Russian news sources. We will not do so unless at gunpoint.
Sorry to be a free speech absolutist.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
And also my sympathies to the great people of Russia, who do not want this
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
Musk, who is also the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla, also called for oil and gas production worldwide to increase to make up for disruptions caused by the invasion.
Obviously, this would negatively affect Tesla, but sustainable energy solutions simply cannot react instantaneously to make up for Russian oil & gas exports.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2022
Last week, Musk announced that Starlink is active in Ukraine where the Russian invasion has vastly disrupted internet access, according to Fox Business.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Musk followed that up by sending Ukraine Starlink systems to various cities that have been targeted by Russia.
Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities. Discussed possible space projects ?. But I’ll talk about this after the war.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 5, 2022
Starlink has about 2,000 satellites in its network. The satellites hover in a low-earth orbit and give high-speed broadband internet access in remote areas.
Starlink can be used in hard-to-reach areas and in disasters.
Communications infrastructure has been targeted by Russia as it pounds Ukraine’s cities. On Sunday, the attacks killed civilians trying to evacuate Kyiv, according to The New York Times.
On CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the West is gathering evidence of what appear to be Russian war crimes in Ukraine, according to Newsweek.
He the U.S. has “very credible” reports of attacks on civilians that “would constitute war crimes.”
“What we’re doing right now is documenting all of this, putting it all together. Looking at it and making sure that as people and the appropriate organizations and institutions investigate whether war crimes happened or [are] being committed, that we can support whatever they are doing,” he said.
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