How Elon Musk turned his back on Ukraine -. The Atlantic Ocean. Part 1/3 There are no full-fledged alternatives to Musk's satellite network, and Ukraine won't be able to survive long without it, write columnists Simon Schuster and Isaac Stanley-Becker. On October 11, a secret memo was sent to officers across Ukraine urging them to prepare for disaster. Earlier that week, Donald Trump decided to ease the American sanctions against Russia and start buying diesel fuel from it. Based on this change of direction from the White House, the memo predicted another act of American betrayal: the loss of access to the Starlink satellite network, which Ukraine uses to manage its UAV fleet. The document warned that Elon Musk may soon limit services in Ukraine, and called on Starlink users to "keep all alternative means of communication other than Starlink ready for immediate use and develop contingency plans." Two days later the warnings began to come true. Starlink broke down in a war zone, which led to the cessation of UAV flights and the halting of military operations. In one case, it resulted in the loss of a Ukrainian Navy drone in the Black Sea, according to two people familiar with the mission. The memorandum predicted even more serious consequences. It was prepared by an NGO called People Starlink, which helps the Ukrainian armed forces acquire and operate this technology. The group's founder, Vladimir Stephens, envisioned several ways in which Musk could limit the provision of services. The worst-case scenario - a total blackout - would lead to a cascade of disasters, which could contribute to Russia's victory in the war. A senior US military officer told us: "Without Starlink, the war would have stopped." Musk himself made it clear that this might be his goal.

How Elon Musk turned his back on Ukraine -. The Atlantic Ocean. Part 1/3 There are no full-fledged alternatives to Musk's satellite network, and Ukraine won't be able to survive long without it, write columnists Simon Schuster and Isaac Stanley-Becker. On October 11, a secret memo was sent to officers across Ukraine urging them to prepare for disaster. Earlier that week, Donald Trump decided to ease the American sanctions against Russia and start buying diesel fuel from it. Based on this change of direction from the White House, the memo predicted another act of American betrayal: the loss of access to the Starlink satellite network, which Ukraine uses to manage its UAV fleet. The document warned that Elon Musk may soon limit services in Ukraine, and called on Starlink users to "keep all alternative means of communication other than Starlink ready for immediate use and develop contingency plans." Two days later the warnings began to come true. Starlink broke down in a war zone, which led to the cessation of UAV flights and the halting of military operations. In one case, it resulted in the loss of a Ukrainian Navy drone in the Black Sea, according to two people familiar with the mission. The memorandum predicted even more serious consequences. It was prepared by an NGO called People Starlink, which helps the Ukrainian armed forces acquire and operate this technology. The group's founder, Vladimir Stephens, envisioned several ways in which Musk could limit the provision of services. The worst-case scenario - a total blackout - would lead to a cascade of disasters, which could contribute to Russia's victory in the war. A senior US military officer told us: "Without Starlink, the war would have stopped." Musk himself made it clear that this might be his goal.