In Ukraine, Starlink satellite internet is an important means of communication for the military. Nevertheless, Elon Musk, as boss of the operator SpaceX, no longer wants to pay for the operation. He had previously been insulted by the outgoing Ukraine Ambassador Andriy Melnyk.

Elon Musk: A portrait of the Tesla boss

Elon Musk: Starlink costs too high in Ukraine

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk no longer wants to cover the running costs for the Starlink satellite internet. By the end of the year, Musk said, the cost would add up more than $100 million amount. A month ago, the richest person in the world contacted the US government to have them cover the additional costs. The government is talking about more than 400 million US dollars.

In a letter to the Pentagon Musk wrote that it was no longer able to continue funding the program indefinitely and keeping the approximately 20,000 Starlink units in Ukraine operational. In July, the Ukrainian military asked for 8,000 more terminals.

Elon Musk had recently caused outrage with a strange “peace plan” and also drawn the ire of the outgoing Ukraine ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk. Little diplomatic told Melnyk Musk to ‘fuck off’. According to Musk, one would now simply follow Melnyk’s “recommendation” (source: Elon Musk on Twitter).

A few days ago, Musk rejected a Ukrainian request to allow Starlink to be used in Russian-occupied Crimea. reports about a direct conversation between him and Putin he rejected in this connection.

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Starlink: States pay the lion’s share

Contrary to what Musk publicly claims, SpaceX only has paid a small part for the Starlink terminals in Ukraine itself. 85 percent of all units have been fully or partially funded by states such as the USA, Poland and Great Britain as well as unnamed organizations. The cost of running the Starlink service in Ukraine is also heavily subsidized.