Russia’s Starlink use sparks probe into SpaceX compliance with US sanctions
Democratic lawmakers are probing SpaceX over Russia's reported use of Starlink in Ukraine, saying that recent developments raise questions about SpaceX's "compliance with US sanctions and export controls."
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk last month denied what he called "false news reports [that] claim that SpaceX is selling Starlink terminals to Russia," saying that, "to the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia." But Musk's statement didn't satisfy US Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who sent a letter to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell yesterday.
"Starlink is an invaluable resource for Ukrainians in their fight against Russia's brutal and illegitimate invasion. It is alarming that Russia may be obtaining and using your technology to coordinate attacks against Ukrainian troops in illegally occupied regions in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, potentially in violation of US sanctions and export controls," Raskin and Garcia wrote.
Musk has also stated that "Starlink satellites will not close the link in Russia." However, the concerns raised by Rankin and Garcia are about whether Russia used the broadband service in Ukraine. Their letter said that Ukraine last month "released intercepted audio communications between Russian soldiers that indicated Russian forces had illegally deployed and activated Starlink terminals in certain Russian-occupied areas in Eastern Ukraine."
Only dead fish swim with the current.
It's a tough pill to swallow, I give you that. For many people the entire "Elon Musk is Russian asset" narrative is build on this specific event and then any further findings that seem to support this are added on top of it. If a person believing in this narrative would then aknowledge that they were wrong about this one it removes the entire foundation from said belief and it all comes crashing down. It's no wonder that it causes major cognitive dissonance on people and they then do all kinds of mental gymnastics to hold on to their false beliefs.
Musk is an immature asshole with a Billionaire lifestyle. He was still everybody's darling, even while playing an IRL Tony Stark, right up until he started working against the agenda of the TOOLs. (Terminally Online and Outraged Leftists).
I'm neither Republican nor Conservative but dealing with the TOOLs that are clogging up every single Online space is exhausting.