From #WaPo ... Walter Isaacson has a guest column that explains the kerfuffle over Elon Musk, #Starlink, and the #Russia #Ukraine War. After reading it, it's a lot easier to understand what happened.
The bottom line is that the Russian ambassador to the U.S. told Musk Russia would use nukes to defend their Crimea sub base if Ukraine attacked it. That was when Elon turned off the Starlink system in the area.
Right.
How do you defend your own harbor from drone ships by using nukes?
@FireMonkey It's what Elon believed. Elon is not a diplomat.
Personally, I think Elon was afraid the Russians might disable #Starlink and put him out of business. They were certainly trying. They had just conducted an ASAT test in November 2021 to demonstrate that capability.
BTW, in 2010 Ukraine signed an agreement giving Russia a lease on that sub base through 2042. Even if Ukraine takes back Crimea, Russia will still contend the base is theirs.
@FireMonkey Well, as with all international agreements, they're only good for as long as both sides honor them.
Molotov-Ribbentrop looked great on paper until Hitler decided to ignore it.
I'm just pointing out why the submarine base is a sore point for the Russians. It's from where they control the Black Sea. They'll give up the rest of Crimea long before they give up the base.
@WordsmithFL
Hmm, I think Russia may have broken that lease by bombing the landlord. 🤨 🤣