A Russian state TV commentator wondered aloud Monday whether the Kremlin should launch a nuclear attack on Elon Musk’s network of Starlink satellites over Ukraine.
TV host Vladimir Solovyov made the suggestion on his Russia 1 show Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, according to a clip tweeted by Ukraine official Anton Gerashenko.
Solovyov said goodbye to the group and Elon Musk in space. Solovyov is known for fiercely promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda at guest shows, a matter that Andrey Anatolyevich Sidorov, professor of politics at Moscow State University, immediately objected to.
He warned Solovyov that his suggestion to bomb an alien target, even in space, would trigger an all-out global war. A brief exchange took place between the two, during which Solovyov challenged Sidorov and asked if he wanted peace in Ukraine.
Sidorov counterattacked that there could be a big nuclear war that would kill everyone then they would just die and we would go to heaven Sidorov told Soloviev. Elon Musk’s Starlink has sent thousands of Internet kits to Ukraine during the war.
Starlink uses SpaceX’s broadband service and supplies Internet to Ukraine by connecting satellites to terminals on the ground.
Internet service has fueled Ukraine’s war effort by giving its troops a reliable means of communication. Reports suggest that Ukrainian soldiers have used Starlink to launch counterattacks or call in artillery attacks, and have used the kit to contact their loved ones on the front lines.
The Pentagon and the European Union have separately discussed paying for Starlink in Ukraine, Politico reported in October. Musk said on October 17 that SpaceX withdrew its request to the Pentagon to fund Starlink.
He said on Monday that even if the US government does not give him funding for this, Starlink services will not be stopped. Representatives for Musk and SpaceX did not immediately respond to insider requests for comment.