I should begin by saying that a Russian official threatened an American citizen and the Biden administration hasn’t said a word about it. Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk fired back after the Russian official threatened to make him pay for helping Ukraine. Musk sent internet equipment to the war-torn country after Putin invaded.
SpaceX has been delivering the internet to Ukraine through over 10,000 Starlink dishes, which can receive the broadband from satellites orbiting the planet. The Ukrainian government says it’s been deploying the dishes in areas hit hardest by Russia’s invasion, including at hospitals and for military operations.
So it’s safe to say the Russians have been furious with the success of Musk’s personal mission to help Ukraine. The officials message was blasted all over Russian state news. Musk shared the threat on Twitter—His latest venture:
“From the testimony of the captured commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Dmitry Kormyankov, it turns out that the internet terminals of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite company were delivered to the militants of the Nazi Azov Battalion and the Ukrainian Marines in Mariupol by military helicopters,” states the translated message, which Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space agency, sent to Russian media. “According to our information, the delivery of the Starlink equipment was carried out by the Pentagon.
“Elon Musk, thus, is involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment,” the message continues. “And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult – no matter how much you’ll play the fool.”
The word “Nazi” doesn’t mean what he seems to think it does pic.twitter.com/pk9SQhBOsG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
“If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya,” Musk wrote shortly after. His mother quickly replied, obviously concerned. Musk tried to reassure her that he plans to try and stay alive:
Sorry! I will do my best to stay alive.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
Ukrainian soldiers have also praised SpaceX’s Starlink system. “I want to say one thing: Elon Musk’s Starlink is what changed the war in Ukraine’s favor,” one solider recently told journalist David Patrikarakos. “Russia went out of its way to blow up all our comms. Now they can’t. Starlink works under Katyusha (rocket) fire, under artillery fire. It even works in Mariupol.”
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