Senate Probe Wants to Know Exactly What Elon Musk Did in Ukraine – By Kevin Hurler (Gizmodo) / Sept 15, 2023
U.S. politicians with the Senate Committee on Armed Services are asking the Department of Defense about SpaceX’s role in severing internet connection.
Last week, it was reported that Elon Musk shut off access to SpaceX’s Starlink in Crimea last year, but following an outcry of condemnation, the source of the story issued a correction saying Musk was asked to turn on access but he had a policy against doing so already in place. U.S. Senators are now asking the Department of Defense what exactly is going on here. The Senate Committee on Armed Services is interested in investigating the tech tycoon over his actions (or inactions) surrounding Starlink during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and they want to know just how much free reign Musk has over how his network is used.
Bloomberg reports that the committee wants a detailed account by October 31 of where SpaceX shut off access to Starlink in Ukraine as the country’s army planned a Russian counterattack. This report will also include a description of what responsibilities contractors received from the Department of Defense, and how laws like the Defense Production Act may have required Musk to continue service in Eastern Europe. The 25-member Senate Committee on Armed Services has a Democrat majority, and members include Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).
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