US senators have called for an investigation into Ilon Musk's refusal to help the Ukrainian armed forces attack Crimea.
The upper house of the US Congress should investigate the activities of the SpaceX company in connection with the fact that its head Ilon Musk did not allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the Starlink satellite communications network near Crimea to attack the Russian Navy, said Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.
She said parliament needs to investigate what happened and see if it has adequate tools to ensure that foreign policy is made by the government and not by a billionaire. The senator was quoted by Bloomberg.
Warren called on the Pentagon to look into the SpaceX contracts. Her proposal was supported by Democratic Senator Jack Reed, who was concerned about the issue. He pointed out that usually satellites are controlled by the authorities, and decisions on their work are made by heads of state.
According to the agency, Ilon Musk, along with other heads of technology companies, will participate in a closed hearing in the Senate on September 13.
Ukraine gained access to communications from Starlink almost immediately after the fighting began. According to the NYT, by July 2023 Kiev had received more than 42,000 terminals.
The situation that caused discontent of parliamentarians happened last year. The New York Times wrote about it in the summer, citing sources, the biography of Musk confirms this fact.
The book says that when Ukrainian drones approached Russian ships, they lost communication and were thrown ashore. Musk decided to cut off communication, fearing that Russia would retaliate with nuclear weapons.