> The topic of Starlink’s crucial role in Ukraine was discussed in March at a SASC military space hearing, where Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) criticized SpaceX for

> The topic of Starlink’s crucial role in Ukraine was discussed in March at a SASC military space hearing, where Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) criticized SpaceX for the “discontinuation of full services at such a critical time for Ukraine’s self defense.” > The debate has been reignited with the recent release of a new Musk biography by Walter Isaacson who recounted how SpaceX’s boss thwarted Ukrainian forces by shutting off Starlink’s satellite network over Crimea — a territory occupied by Russia that Ukraine was fighting to reclaim. > SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell in February said Ukraine used Starlink services for applications that SpaceX did not support. “It was never intended to be weaponized, but the Ukrainians have leveraged it in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement,” she said. Everybody overlooks what Shotwell says. It matters: https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/10/1051973/russia-hack-viasat-satellite-ukraine-invasion/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/05/10/1051973/russia-h... > Just an hour before Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Russian government hackers targeted the American satellite company Viasat, officials from the US, EU, and UK said today. [...] The attack, on February 24, launched destructive “wiper” malware called AcidRain against Viasat modems and routers, quickly erasing all the data on the system. The machines then rebooted and were permanently disabled. Thousands of terminals were effectively destroyed in this way. Russia had already shown what it would do to ISPs facilitating military ops in the area.