WARSAW: Poland’s foreign minister on Tuesday called on US tech tycoon Elon Musk to cut Russian military access to his Starlink satellites, which experts say are used in Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Radoslaw Sikorski, who is also deputy prime minister, spoke out after the US-based Institute for the Study of War said that the Russian army uses Starlink satellites to guide its drone attacks deep into Ukraine.
“Hey, big man, @elonmusk, why don’t you stop the Russians from using Starlinks to target Ukrainian cities. Making money on war crimes may damage your brand,” Sikorski said on X, Musk’s social media platform.
Musk denied in 2024 that Starlink terminals had been sold to Russia. According to Ukrainian intelligence services, the Russian army has obtained terminals through third countries rather than any official contract with Musk.
The ISW said that “Russian forces are increasingly using Starlink satellite systems to extend the range of BM-35 strike drones to conduct mid-range strikes against the Ukrainian rear.”
It said the reported 500-kilometer (310-mile) range of Starlink-equipped BM-35 drones “places most of Ukraine, all of Moldova, and parts of Poland, Romania, and Lithuania in range of these drones if launched from Russia or occupied Ukraine.”
Starlink is also widely used by the Ukrainian army for communications, so a general cut in the territory would be problematic.
Russia has in recent months stepped up its daily drone assaults on Ukrainian frontline troops as well as Ukrainian power stations and transport infrastructure across the country.
Some 165 drones were unleashed in attacks overnight between Sunday and Monday, according to Ukraine.
Poland foreign minister urges Musk to cut Russia’s Starlink access
https://arab.news/57a2m
Poland foreign minister urges Musk to cut Russia’s Starlink access
- Musk denied in 2024 that Starlink terminals had been sold to Russia
- Starlink is also widely used by the Ukrainian army for communications
Norway moves some of its 60 soldiers in Middle East due to security situation
- Norway declined to say how many soldiers it was relocating and which locations were affected
- Norway has forces stationed in several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries
COPENHAGEN: Norway is relocating some of the around 60 soldiers it has in the Middle East to Norway as well as to other countries in the region on security grounds, a spokesperson for the Norwegian armed forces said on Friday.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday it must make a deal over its nuclear program or “really bad things” will happen, setting a deadline of 10 to 15 days, drawing a threat from Tehran to retaliate against US bases in the region if attacked.
Norway declined to say how many soldiers it was relocating and which locations were affected.
“These are soldiers who have jobs like training local forces and other missions,” Lt. Col. Vegard Finberg from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters told Reuters.
“The way the situation is now, it’s not possible for them to do their primary tasks, and that’s why we are relocating them,” he said, adding other nations had made similar moves in recent days.
Norway has forces stationed in several sites in Iraq and other nearby countries.
