Wire flash
EU lawmaker slams Musk over reported Starlink throttling in Ukraine
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the European Parliament's defense committee, reacted with outrage to US media reports that tech billionaire Elon Musk personally ordered the throttling of the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine. She accused Musk of playing "lord over life and death" and asked, "How sick and brutal must one be?" She called on Europe to rapidly build its own high-performance communication systems to become less dependent on US technology. Tobias Cremer, security policy spokesman for the Europa-SPD, similarly warned that Europe's security must not hang on a single billionaire's switch. Ukrainian forces reportedly cannot use interception and attack drones to the previous extent due to the throttling of Starshield, the military service. Kyiv has accused Washington of deliberately slowing transmission speeds, which Washington denies.
Source report
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), Chair of the Defence Committee in the European Parliament. Source: Pascal Rohé/WELT
According to US media reports, tech billionaire Elon Musk is personally behind the throttling of the satellite internet service Starlink in Ukraine. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has reacted with dismay. She also has an urgent appeal for Europe.
The Chair of the Defence Committee in the European Parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), has reacted with outrage to US media reports alleging that tech billionaire Elon Musk is personally behind the throttling of the critical satellite internet service Starlink in Ukraine. Musk is acting as though he were "lord over life and death," Strack-Zimmermann told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers. "How sick and brutal must one be?" asked the FDP politician.
At the same time, she demanded that Europe rapidly build up its own high-performance communication systems. "Even if it won't happen overnight. It is our goal to become independent of US technology as quickly as possible. Speed, speed, speed is the order of the day."
Tobias Cremer, the security and defence policy spokesperson for the Europa-SPD, expressed a similar view. "Europe's security must not hang on the switch of a single billionaire," he told the Funke media outlets. "If Elon Musk can restrict Ukraine's defence capabilities at the push of a button, that must be a wake-up call for us." Europe needs its own reliable satellite communication and must be able to control its critical infrastructure itself.
Read also:
- Foreign Affairs | Meeting in St. Petersburg: Russia Ready for New Talks with US and Ukraine – Witkoff Calls Putin a "Humanitarian"
- WELTplus Article | Ukraine War: 500-Fold Performance – How Far Europe Lags Behind Elon Musk's Starlink System
US media had previously reported that the throttling of the Starshield satellite communication service – which is crucial for the Ukrainian army – is said to trace back to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. As a result, the Ukrainian armed forces are unable to use interceptor and attack drones to their previous extent in the fight against the Russian invaders.
Kyiv has been reporting for days on a throttling of the satellite communication services Starlink and Starshield. Kyiv accuses Washington of having deliberately reduced the system's transmission speed, which Washington denies.
The Starlink service plays an important role in communications for the Ukrainian armed forces at the front and is also important for controlling drones and defending against them. The system is divided into the actually civilian service Starlink and the military service Starshield. Ukraine uses both services.
AFP/gold
Source
Nachrichten - WELTWestern
Part of this Story
Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Crippled Ukraine's Drones, Reports Say