Elon Musk's Action Makes Putin Happy, American Senator Angry
Photo: Tesla CEO Elon Musk waves as he arrives at the bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insights Forum for all US senators hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at the US Capitol in Washington, USA, September 13, 2023. (REUTERS /LEAH MILLIS)
- Elon Musk's actions in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war enraged United States senators. Musk is said to have turned off Starlink satellite internet to save a Russian warship.
Three US senators from the Armed Services Commission asked the US Department of Defense for an explanation regarding whether or not Musk could regulate Starlink internet access.
Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, the company that owns Starlink, a satellite-based internet service in low Earth orbit. Starlink was used by Ukrainian forces in the war against Russia.
Three Democratic senators, namely Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, and Tammy Duckworth sent a letter to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. They said they "want to know whether Musk has intervened to harm important U.S. partners at a critical time."
More specifically, the senators said whether or not Musk "directed that the functions of Starlink terminals used by Ukrainian troops in the southern regions of Ukraine in 2022, be turned off or disrupted."
Elon Musk's actions which have attracted the attention of senators are written in a biography book. Walter Isaacson wrote in Musk's biography about Musk's order to cut off Starlink connections when the satellite's internet network was being used to control diving drones that were attacking Russian warships.
After the biography was published, Musk emphasized that this action showed that he was on the side of peace. He stressed that he was not cutting off the internet in the Crimea region, but rejected Ukraine's request to provide access to Starlink in the Russian-controlled territory.
"If I agree to their request, SpaceX will be directly involved in acts of war and escalation of conflict," Musk said via his X account, the social media formerly known as Twitter.
Isaacson has also made a correction in the book he wrote, stating that the connection had been turned off in the relevant area. Musk "simply" refused to turn it back on. Isaacson also revealed that Musk is preparing a military version of Starlink, to meet the demand for using satellite internet in war.
Putin's praise
Musk has also stated several times that Ukraine should agree to a "ceasefire" with Russia.
The news about Musk's actions was praised by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In fact, Putin promised that he was ready to develop the billionaire's business in his country.
Putin's remarks came after the billionaire rejected Ukraine's request to install its Starlink satellite network in the port city of Sevastopol. The request was made last year to help Ukraine attack Russia.
"Elon Musk... is undoubtedly an extraordinary person. That must be recognized. I think everyone in the world must recognize it. He is a very active and talented businessman," said Putin, quoted from CNBC International, Wednesday (13/9/2023) .
Putin also confirmed that Moscow would expand support for private businesses in the country. One of them is the space program under Roscosmos.
Aksi Elon Musk Bikin Putin Happy, Senator Amerika Murka
Foto: CEO Tesla Elon Musk melambai saat ia tiba di Forum Wawasan Kecerdasan Buatan (AI) bipartisan untuk seluruh senator AS yang diselenggarakan oleh Pemimpin Mayoritas Senat Chuck Schumer (D-NY) di US Capitol di Washington, AS, 13 September 2023. (REUTERS/LEAH MILLIS)
- Aksi Elon Musk di tengah perang Rusia-Ukraina membuat senator Amerika Serikat murka. Musk disebut mematikan internet satelit Starlink untuk menyelamatkan kapal perang Rusia.
Tiga senator AS dari Komisi Angkatan Bersenjata meminta penjelasan ke Departemen Pertahanan AS soal bisa atau tidaknya Musk mengatur akses internet Starlink.
Musk adalah CEO SpaceX, perusahaan pemilik Starlink, yaitu layanan internet berbasis satelit di orbit rendah Bumi. Starlink digunakan oleh pasukan Ukraina dalam perang melawan Rusia.
Tiga orang senator dari Partai Demokrat yaitu Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren, dan Tammy Duckworth mengirim surat ke Menteri Pertahanan AS Llyod Austin. Mereka menyatakan "ingin tahu apakah Musk telah melakukan intervensi yang merugikan mitra penting AS di saat kritis."
Lebih spesifik, para senator melontarkan pernyataan benar atau tidak Musk "mengarahkan agar fungsi terminal Starlink yang digunakan oleh tentara Ukraina di wilayah selatan Ukraina pada 2022, dimatikan atau diganggu."
Aksi Elon Musk yang menjadi perhatian para senator tertulis dalam buku biografi. Walter Isaacson menulis dalam buku biografi Musk tentang perintah Musk untuk memutus koneksi Starlink saat jaringan internet satelit tersebut digunakan untuk mengendalikan drone selam yang sedang menyerang kapal perang Rusia.
Setelah biografi itu terbit, Musk mengesankan bahwa tindakan tersebut menunjukkan bahwa ia berpihak kepada perdamaian. Ia menegaskan bahwa ia tidak memutus internet di wilayah Crimea, tetapi menolak permintaan Ukraina untuk menyediakan akses ke Starlink di wilayah yang dikuasai oleh Rusia tersebut.
"Jika saya menyetujui permintaan mereka, SpaceX terlibat langsung dalam tindakan perang dan eskalasi konflik," kata Musk lewat akun X, media sosial yang dulu bernama Twitter.
Isaacson juga telah melakukan koreksi di buku yang ia tulis, yaitu menyatakan bahwa koneksi sudah dimatikan di area terkait. Musk "hanya" menolak menyalakannya kembali. Isaacson juga mengungkapkan bahwa Musk sedang menyiapkan Starlink versi militer, untuk memenuhi permintaan penggunaan internet satelit dalam perang.
Pujian Putin
Musk juga beberapa kali menyatakan bahwa Ukraina seharusnya menyepakati "gencatan senjata" dengan Rusia.
Kabar soal aksi Musk dipuji oleh Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin. Bahkan, Putin berjanji siap mengembangkan bisnis milik miliarder itu di negaranya.
Ucapan Putin terjadi usai miliarder menolak permintaan Ukraina memasang jaringan satelit Starlink miliknya di kota pelabuhan Sevastopol. Permintaan yang dilakukan tahun lalu itu untuk membantu Ukraina menyerang Rusia.
"Elon Musk...tidak diragukan merupakan orang luar biasa. Itu harus diakui. Saya pikir semua orang di dunia harus mengakuinya. Dia pengusaha yang sangat aktif dan bertalenta," kata Putin dikutip dari CNBC Internasional, Rabu (13/9/2023).
Putin juga memastikan Moskow akan mengembangkan dukungan pada bisnis swasta di negara tersebut. Salah satunya pada program luar angkasa di bawah Roscosmos.