| Title: | Did Elon Musk Turn Off Starlink Access in Crimea To Disrupt Ukrainian Attack? |
| URL: | https://www.snopes.com/news/2023/09/14/musk-internet-access-crimea-ukraine/ |
| Publisher: | Snopes |
| Date published: | September 14, 2023 |
| Description: | On Sept. 7, 2023, major U.S. news outlets, including CNN and The Washington Post, reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had personally ordered access to the company’s Starlink satellite internet service “turned off” or “shut down” in Russia-occupied Crimea to disrupt a planned Ukrainian military attack there. The incident took place in 2022. These reports were based, in turn, on a published excerpt from a then-soon-to-be-released book about Musk by Walter Isaacson. However, as Musk objected immediately and Isaacson would clarify soon after, the claim that Musk had ordered Starlink coverage in Crimea “turned off” wasn’t entirely accurate. (Both CNN and The Washington Post subsequently corrected their reports.) |
Did Elon Musk Turn Off Starlink Access in Crimea To Disrupt Ukrainian Attack?
On Sept. 7, 2023, major U.S. news outlets, including CNN and The Washington Post, reported that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had personally ordered access to the company's Starlink satellite internet service "turned off" or "shut down" in Russia-occupied Crimea to disrupt a planned Ukrainian military attack there. The incident took place in 2022.
These reports were based, in turn, on a published excerpt from a then-soon-to-be-released book about Musk by Walter Isaacson.
However, as Musk objected immediately and Isaacson would clarify soon after, the claim that Musk had ordered Starlink coverage in Crimea "turned off" wasn't entirely accurate. (Both CNN and The Washington Post subsequently corrected their reports.)
