Elon Musk refused Ukraine's request for Starlink that would help it attack Russian ships with exploding sea drones, report says

• Elon Musk denied Ukraine's request for Starlink access near Crimea last year, per The New York Times.
• Ukraine wanted to send an explosive maritime drone against Russian ships, the Times reported.

Elon Musk denied Ukraine access to his Starlink satellite system near Crimea last year when the country wanted to send an explosive-filled maritime drone against Russian ships, The New York Times reported.

According to the Times, Ukraine asked Musk for Starlink access near Crimea, but Musk refused, two people familiar with the discussions said. He later said the company's satellites could not be used for long-range drone strikes.

Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014 and is the site of a major Russian naval base. It also serves as a key part of the Russian military's supply chain. Ukraine has vowed to take it back.

Ukraine has increasingly relied on Starlink for its internet and communications since Russia's invasion in February 2022. The system, which has thousands of satellites in orbit to provide internet services even to remote regions, is often the only way for conflict zones to get internet access.

Musk said Starlink was activated in Ukraine in February 2022, and Ukrainian officials said that by early May it had about 150,000 daily users.

Soldiers told the Times that Starlink enables drone pilots to find and strike a target in about a minute, compared to the 20 minutes it took before using the technology.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's digital minister, told the Times that the "huge number of lives that Starlink has helped save can be measured in the thousands."

But Ukrainian officials are also concerned about relying too much on Starlink and have reached out to other satellite internet providers. However, none of them can match the level of connectivity that Starlink gives, they said, according to the Times.

Fedorov called Starlink "the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now."

Ukraine's concerns are mirrored elsewhere.

The Times reported that world leaders and militaries are worried about Musk's "erratic and personality-driven style."

And some countries have questioned Musk's control of Starlink with US officials over the last year and a half, the Times reported. The EU is planning its own rival satellite internet system.

SpaceX, Musk's company that develops and launches Starlink satellites, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, which was sent outside of normal business hours.

Musk's relationship with Ukraine since the Russian invasion has not always been easy.

Last year he floated a peace plan that Ukraine criticized as it involved handing over Ukrainian territory to Russia.

And Ukrainian officials said in September that Musk had blocked Starlink internet access in Crimea, saying he was concerned about escalating the conflict.

Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the leader of Ukraine's Armed Forces, asked the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, about Musk in a March 17, 2023, call, the Times reported.

Zaluzhnyi noted that Ukraine's fighting was reliant on Starlink for communications and said he wanted to make sure Ukraine kept getting access and how to cover the cost, three people with knowledge of the conversation told the Times.

Zaluzhnyi also asked if the US had an assessment of Musk. US officials didn't answer the question, the Times report said.