Recently, Elon Musk made a big splash by launching a satellite internet service in India. Many serious allegations were made against the Government of India and the Reliance Group. But now Elon Musk himself and his company have fallen into the trap. Ukraine and Poland have made serious allegations against Elon Musk and his company. A major controversy has arisen in Ukraine due to Starlink slowing down the internet during the military operation. While the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland has accused Elon Musk of doing politics through products in his ‘X’ post.

According to Ukrainian officials, on the night of October 13-14, when the Ukrainian Army was conducting some military exercises, Starlink suddenly reduced its speed. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said the change was made without any prior notice. This affected work related to medium-range attack drones, interceptors, military logistics and surveillance.

What was the reason behind the restrictions?

Doubts were expressed about the sanctions in Ukraine, whether they were related to the pressure imposed on Kiev by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The development comes amid calls for a halt to attacks on Russian oil bases in Ukraine. In this matter, Elon Musk said that Starlink and StarShield should not be considered the same service. Starlink is commonly used as an Internet service, while Starshield is a military and security related system developed for the needs of the US government.

According to Musk, StarShield use is controlled by the US government and decisions regarding its speed or use are made by the US military. He has held the American President responsible for controlling this. However, a clear public statement is yet to come from the US administration regarding the entire incident, so that it is known who took the decision to impose sanctions and under what circumstances.

Poland criticized Elon Musk

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also criticized Elon Musk over the incident. Sikorsky wrote on social media platform X while addressing Musk whether he was once again politicizing through his products. He said that his clients in Europe are watching the whole development.

Poland is paying for Starlink subscriptions to Ukraine. In such a situation, the Polish foreign minister’s comments show concern that if a country’s army’s communications network is dependent on a foreign company, how reliable can it be during wartime? The question is also whether suddenly changing the terms and conditions of services will not affect the security of that country?

Arguments were also made in support of Elon Musk

The matter is no longer just a dispute between Ukraine and Elon Musk. Due to this, the technological self-sufficiency of Europe and the dependence on foreign companies are also being questioned. However, many arguments have also come up in support of Musk in this controversy. Supporters say SpaceX is a private company and has no obligation to comply with Ukraine’s every military demand.

Some say that in the early days of the war, when Ukraine’s communications system was under heavy pressure, Starlink significantly helped it maintain contact. This side says that the company has the right to set limits on the use of its technology. SpaceX also faces risks in operating its network amid Russian attacks and international political pressure.