Russia Allegedly Wants to Destroy Elon Musk's Starlink Satellites, Here's Why

In a statement released by Russia's delegation at the United Nations General Assembly, it seemed that Russia was implying that the US government was plotting a plan against the country by allowing private satellites to crowd Earth's orbit. The private satellite that the Kremlin is accusing is Elon Musk's Starlink.

Russia's Threat to Elon Musk

Shashank Joshi, Defense Editor at The Economist, posted on Twitter about Russia's interesting statement on satellite use.

"Quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation," he wrote.

He added that it's evident that Starlink has become a significant part of Ukraine's command, control, and communication infrastructure in sections of the country.

Interesting statement from Russia on satellite use: “Quasi-civilian infrastructure may become a legitimate target for retaliation”. It’s clear that Starlink has become an important part of Ukraine’s command, control and communication system in parts of the country. https://t.co/RmrHRBrUsm
— Shashank Joshi (@shashj) September 15, 2022

It's not the first time Russia has threatened Musk's company in this way. In fact, in May, Business Insider reported that the SpaceX CEO confirmed in his tweet that Russian cyberwar attempts to jam and hack Starlink have so far been unsuccessful, but they are stepping up their efforts.

Musk provided a link to a Reuters post stating that Western officials believed Russia launched a hack against satellite broadband provider Viasat in February when President Vladimir Putin's troops advanced into Ukraine.

(Photo : (U.S. Air Force photo by Trevor cokley)/Wikimedia Commons)
Elon Musk in Colorado

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Is Russia Really Mad About SpaceX?

The Head of Russia's UN Office for Disarmament Affairs delegation, Konstantin Vorontsov, a member of the foreign ministry, argued in the statement that the delegation would like to emphasize a very dangerous trend that goes beyond the beneficial use of space technologies and has emerged during the events in Ukraine.

Additionally, Vorontsov charged that the US and its allies were utilizing the commercial space infrastructure for military objectives. It appears as though their colleagues are unaware of the fact that these behaviors actually amount to possible military involvement.

Is There a Cyberwar Between Elon Musk and Russia?

Elon Musk claimed in a tweet in May that Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Russia's space agency, had threatened his life. He alleged that Rogozin wrote in a message that Elon would have to answer in an adult way..no matter how he turned on the fool. Rogozin's death threats reflected the frustration that had become very palpable among influential Russian personalities in favor of the war.

Musk appears to believe that the Starlink satellites are the target of Russia's recent statement. Yet, the CEO has just emphasized to Moscow that the service is primarily a means of communication and not a weapon of war. The tycoon stated on Twitter on Sep. 16 that Starlink is intended for peaceful use only.