Elon Musk shared on Twitter that he’s being threatened by Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin after the tech billionaire gave Ukrainians a hand in their fight against the Russians.
On Monday, the new Twitter CEO posted a statement from Rogozin accusing him of supplying military communication equipment to Ukrainian forces, whom he labeled as “nazis.”
“Elon Musk, thus, is involved in supplying the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication equipment,” the statement read. “And for this, Elon, you will be held accountable like an adult—no matter how much you’ll play the fool.”
If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2022
Musk wrote in a subsequent tweet: “If I die under mysterious circumstances, it’s been nice knowin ya.”
The statement also described how Russian forces had learned that Ukrainian soldiers were making use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet system to gain war footing.
A few hours later, Rogozin fired back at the philanthropist tweeting: “No one needs you. Stop fooling around.”
This comes after Musk sent Starlink terminals into Ukraine last March at the request of Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who has said the broadband internet service “keeps our cities connected and emergency services saving lives.”
“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” Musk tweeted about 10 hours after the country’s call for help. “More terminals en route.”
However, he cautioned that the satellite signals could turn Ukrainians into targets as Russia continues bombing major cities across Ukraine.
“Important warning: Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still working in some parts of Ukraine, so probability of being targeted is high,” he tweeted. “Please use with caution.”
A Ukrainian air reconnaissance specialist told reporters that it has been a big help in destroying Russian tanks and army trucks such as by using drones equipped with thermal cameras that can detect Russian vehicles at night.
“If we use a drone with thermal vision at night, the drone must connect through Starlink to the artillery guy and create target acquisition,” the Ukrainian specialist said.
Russia’s intensified invasion of Ukraine has resulted in widespread power outages, which has prompted Ukrainians to use Musk’s Starlink to connect to the internet.
