Elon Musk Requests Pentagon Pay for Starlink Services in Ukraine

SpaceX requested the Pentagon pay for the ongoing internet service for the Ukrainian military provided by the company’s Starlink satellites. The service has proved critical for Ukrainian forces, but SpaceX now states the cost of maintaining the service is too much for the company.

Key Quotes: In a letter to the Pentagon last month, SpaceX stated “we are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated in a tweet that the company was spending roughly $20 million a month to “create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations & pay telcos for access to Internet via gateways,” adding “we’ve also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder.”

For Context: Earlier this month, Musk tweeted a proposed peace plan for the Ukraine War, which included redoing the eastern region referendums under the supervision of the United Nations and recognizing the Crimean Peninsula as Russian territory. This was met with criticism from Ukrainian officials, most notably Ukrainian Ambassador Andrij Melnyk who told Musk to “f— off.”

How the Media Covered it: Outlets on the left covered the story more and focused specifically on Musk’s comments and tweets.

Good News: A Ukrainian girl and her cat were reunited, thanks to the help of strangers across five different countries, after being separated amid the invasion.