Hmm, interesting, wonder who funded this absolutely massive cache of cell phone devices and SIMs?
(links to .gov)
der.hans
and 3 others
boosted
Swedish startup unveils #Starlink alternative that #Musk can’t switch off. The RU1 delivers sovereign #communications for #military, #disaster relief, and #industrial operations #communications #satellite #publicsafetyhttps://thenextweb.com/news/swedish-starlink-alternative-ru1-military-communications
Swedish startup unveils #Starlink alternative that #Musk can’t switch off. The RU1 delivers sovereign #communications for #military, #disaster relief, and #industrial operations #communications #satellite #publicsafetyhttps://thenextweb.com/news/swedish-starlink-alternative-ru1-military-communications
Gabriele Svelto
and 3 others
boosted
We all suspected it, now it’s confirmed.
#Musk ordered shutdown of #Starlink satellite service as #Ukraine retook territory from #Russia
A previously unreported order by #ElonMusk to cut satellite #communications over a portion of Ukraine disrupted a counteroffensive by Kyiv in the autumn of 2022. Reuters investigated the billionaire's order & its implications for countries increasingly reliant on his Starlink internet service.
#power #corruption #oligarchy
https://www.reuters.com/investigations/musk-ordered-shutdown-starlink-satellite-service-ukraine-retook-territory-russia-2025-07-25/
Greg Lloyd
boosted
Upon #Musk’s order, #Ukraine troops suddenly faced a #communications #blackout, acc/to a Ukrainian military official, an advisor to the armed forces, & 2 others who experienced #Starlink failure near the front lines. Soldiers panicked, drones surveilling #Russia forces went dark, & long-range artillery units, reliant on Starlink to aim their fire, struggled to hit targets.
…#Musk’s order was an early glimpse of the #power the magnate now wields in #geopolitics & #GlobalSecurity because of #Starlink, a fast-growing #satellite internet service that barely existed early this decade & now provides connectivity even in remote areas of the world. Even before his brief role as donor & advisor to #Trump, Starlink’s success–& the unrivaled connectivity it offers across the planet–had given Musk increasing #influence w/political leaders, governments & militaries worldwide.
#Musk’s sway in #military affairs in Washington & beyond–through #Starlink’s dominance in #satellite #communications & #SpaceX’s clout in #space launches–has reached a dimension previously limited to #sovereign #governments, alarming some regulators & lawmakers. “Elon Musk’s current global dominance exemplifies the dangers of concentrated #power in unregulated domains,” Martha Lane Fox, a member of Britain’s upper house of parliament, said during a debate earlier this year.
“We have to do this,” Michael Nicolls, the #Starlink engineer, told colleagues upon receiving the order from #Musk, one of these people said. Staffers complied, the 3 people told Reuters, deactivating at least a hundred Starlink terminals, their hexagon-shaped cells going dark on an internal map of the company’s coverage. The move also affected other areas seized by #Russia, including some of #Donetsk province further east.
Upon #Musk’s order, #Ukraine troops suddenly faced a #communications #blackout, acc/to a Ukrainian military official, an advisor to the armed forces, & 2 others who experienced #Starlink failure near the front lines. Soldiers panicked, drones surveilling #Russia forces went dark, & long-range artillery units, reliant on Starlink to aim their fire, struggled to hit targets.
We all suspected it, now it’s confirmed.
#Musk ordered shutdown of #Starlink satellite service as #Ukraine retook territory from #Russia
A previously unreported order by #ElonMusk to cut satellite #communications over a portion of Ukraine disrupted a counteroffensive by Kyiv in the autumn of 2022. Reuters investigated the billionaire's order & its implications for countries increasingly reliant on his Starlink internet service.
#power #corruption #oligarchy
https://www.reuters.com/investigations/musk-ordered-shutdown-starlink-satellite-service-ukraine-retook-territory-russia-2025-07-25/
adinfinitum
boosted
