In an interview aired on CBS News on August 16, former Ukrainian Minister Mykhailo Fedorov spoke about his ongoing communication with Elon Musk. Fedorov expressed appreciation for Musk and SpaceX’s actions that prevented Russia from using Starlink, stating this move has significantly contributed to the protection of Ukraine’s air defense systems and saved thousands of lives.
Fedorov called Musk “probably the most important technological figure and entrepreneur in the world for Ukraine.” In response, Musk shared a video of this comment, accompanied by a heart emoji in his post.
Context
- On January 25, Sergey Beskrestnov, a former advisor to Minister Fedorov on technological matters, reported that Russia began using Shahed drones with Starlink. The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ignat, noted that Shahed drones with Starlink had been detected earlier.
- On February 1, Beskrestnov informed that SpaceX had begun implementing countermeasures against the drones used by Russian forces. The next day, Fedorov announced that the Ukrainian government had approved a resolution for a “white list” of Starlink terminals.
- By February 5, a high-ranking source in the General Staff of Ukraine reported that Russian forces had lost access to Starlink satellite communications.
- On the same day, Beskrestnov indicated that the occupiers had to halt some military operations due to the loss of Starlink satellite communications, stating, “For the enemy on the front lines, it’s not just a problem, it’s a disaster. Command has collapsed, and offensive operations have stopped in many areas.”
- It was previously known that Fedorov kept in touch with Musk. An article in The Atlantic published on August 7 discussed Fedorov negotiating with Musk regarding the use of Starlink for strikes on Russian territory.
