Elon Musk once killed Starlink coverage mid-battle to stop Ukraine from sinking Russia\u2019s Black Sea Fleet.<\/p>\n
But now Musk has decided to limit Russian access to Starlink, severely hampering Russian operations.<\/p>\n
Since the Russians have lost access to the communications technology, Ukraine has seized more than 400 square kilometers of land from the Russians, and liberated eight villages.<\/p>\n
“Without a doubt, our forces are exploiting the problems that the Russians are having with Starlink,” Ukraine\u2019s president Volodimyr Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n
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The reason for the change of heart is unknown, and Musk has not made a public comment on it, but the change happened shortly after a Starlink-equipped drone hit a passenger train in Kharkiv in January, killing five.<\/p>\n
Defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov appealed directly back to Musk. Shortly after, SpaceX killed every terminal in Ukraine not on a government \u201cwhitelist.\u201d<\/p>\n
The directive to SpaceX staff was unambiguous: \u201cNo limits. Take off the gloves; use Starlink for anything to help Ukraine,\u201d a person familiar with the plan said.<\/p>\n
The battlefield impact is clear, but whether Musk\u2019s reversal can meaningfully alter the course of the conflict is another question.<\/p>\n