Russia Ukraine War: Elon Musk Says Starlink Won’t Block Russian News Sources Unless ‘At Gunpoint’

Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet is one of the only communications services running in war-struck Ukraine at this moment. The company’s CEO Elon Musk had earlier warned Starlink users of being targeted as it is the only non-Russian communications service running in the crisis state. Now, Musk has ruled out any possibility of blocking Russian news sources functioning on Starlink on the basis of free speech. In a tweet, Musk said that Starlink will not block Russian news sources “unless at gunpoint.”

In his tweet, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk apologised for being a “free speech absolutist,” saying that despite several governments’ requests (not Ukraine) for blocking Russian news sources, Starlink will no do so. This comes after Musk’s warning that Ukrainian users of Starlink are at risk of being targeted as its the only non-Russian communication system working in the Ukrainian region.

“Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high. Please use with caution,” Musk said in a tweet. This came after Elon Musk offered to supply Starlink internet connectivity amid an internet blackout in Ukraine. Musk’s efforts were praised by many people across the world. Some were even skeptical about the effectiveness of Starlink’s service in Ukraine.