https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/08/russia-ukraine-defense-counteroffensive
This is insane - a terrible, trench war that should be brought to an end
It will only end when Russia leave Ukrainian territory.
Russian invasion of Ukraine | Fewer tweets, more discussion
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It will only end when Russia leave Ukrainian territory.
I agree. Putin should pull out immediately.https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/08/russia-ukraine-defense-counteroffensive
This is insane - a terrible, trench war that should be brought to an end
Tesla/starlink aren't a weapons producer.
Starlink withholding it's services to prevent an attack on the Black sea fleet is a wee bit different in my opinion. I'd imagine he's protecting his business interests. Maybe the US government can share their similar technology as they don't really care if they upset Putin and Co.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/08/russia-ukraine-defense-counteroffensive
This is insane - a terrible, trench war that should be brought to an end
True, Russia should leave Ukraine asap.
Un can't do that on its own
They already did.
Within days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Mr. Musk sent Starlink terminals to the country in response to public pleas from Ukrainian officials. Throughout the war, the connectivity provided by Starlink has been pivotal for Ukraine to coordinate drone strikes and gather intelligence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/08/world/europe/elon-musk-starlink-ukraine.html#:~:text=Within days of Russia's full,drone strikes and gather intelligence.
Correct, Elon sent Starlink terminals which offer online connection via orbiting satellites. From day 1, it was made clear that these cannot be used for offensive attacks that kill people. This isn't even the first time SpaceX had to pull the plug; it has happened many times, and it's not a new thing or regulation. The purpose of allowing them to use Starlink was to give them a massive advantage to bypass Russian aggression that was cutting off their communication infrastructure, which was a critical part in Ukraine being able to defend themselves. Ukraine knows that they can't be using Starlink for offensive military purposes.
From the very article you referenced:
"Mr. Musk said last week on Twitter that SpaceX was “not allowing Starlink to be used for long-range drone strikes.” And on Wednesday, Gwynne Shotwell, Starlink’s president and chief operating officer, said at a conference in Washington that Starlink was “never meant to be weaponized.” Ukraine, Ms. Shotwell said, had leveraged the technology “in ways that were unintentional and not part of any agreement,” according to Reuters. She added that Starlink had taken steps to curtail the Ukrainian military’s use of the technology for controlling drones.
Ukrainian officials on Thursday responded with a mix of anger and diplomacy, though they did not directly address the claims." Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, tagged Ms. Shotwell in a Twitter post, saying that companies are either on the side of Ukraine and “the right to freedom,” or they are on the Russia’s side and the “right to kill and seize territories.” Starlink, he said, “should choose a specific option.” Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital minister who helped facilitate the first delivery of Starlink terminals to Ukraine after the invasion, struck a more conciliatory tone. “Elon Musk is one of the biggest private donors of our future victory,” he said, with SpaceX contributing more than $100 million, according to the government’s estimates. “We hope for further stable work of Starlinks in Ukraine,” Mr. Fedorov added in a statement. He said there has so far been no disruption of the Starlink system in Ukraine.
So, Ukraine 100% knows what the terms of the agreement are; it is spelled out. This isn't the first time SpaceX has had to do this. But Ukraine tried to do it anyways. But when you're running secret clandestine operations, you aren't necessarily going to follow the rules. But you can't complain afterwards.
Sure, if you can win of the battleground you can dictate terms.
In the real world, after a long stalemate, you settle for what you have.
US will sue for peace, Putin will get what he wanted (Crimea + Donetsk + Luhansk, plus security guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO), and Little Jakie, Vicky and Teeny Tony have lost yet another war after spending close to $100Bn.
And that's when you wake up and stare at your Elon as iron-man live sized poster .
Odd that you interpret it this way rather than "We helped Ukraine defend itself against an invasion."
Interpreting it any other way would require having at least a trace amount of empathy.
So the Starlink was so Ukraine could defend itself. But that can’t mean killing people. Yeah, my opinion of Elon remains unchanged.
Can someone translate this to adult for me?
I genuinely don’t think even the poster knows, bizarre post.
I don't follow, can you elaborate?
You're out of your mind if you think Ukraine would ever sign a deal that surrenders land and keeps them out of NATO.
I'm sorry, I don't speak Terminally Online.
I think the point is Starlink can offer intelligence, but aren't somebody who produces missiles. There's a load of competitors like OneWeb, Viasat and Amazon who offer similar services as well. It's a bit of a weird one for me because we're looking for companies to help in a war because governments haven't got the capability.
Jesus. I don't know if you even realise how inhumane you sound here. What happened to your empathy, man?
I guess we know who would've been part of the Vichy government.
How do I keep it ‘civil and constructive’ with posts like this?
Hmm, well 1 day you will stop wasting the Earth’s oxygen. Thanks for that.
It's evident Musk has been talking to Putin for a while now and
Yes, pretty much. Why wouldn't they? Its too easy for them, doesn't cost anything, no checks, everyone assumes they have flies on every wall in the white house and pentagon. Just come up with a semi-plausible story, sprinkle in a bit of controversy to ensure engagement. That's just journalism. Some maybe true of course but they have a mandate to print stories and fill pages on a daily basis, nothing else.
Yes, pretty much. Why wouldn't they? Its too easy for them, doesn't cost anything, no checks, everyone assumes they have flies on every wall in the white house and pentagon. Just come up with a semi-plausible story, sprinkle in a bit of controversy to ensure engagement. That's just journalism. Some maybe true of course but they have a mandate to print stories and fill pages on a daily basis, nothing else.
abc news lacking a bit of conviction though. "officials" say it may or may not happen, cool story.
Empathy is only for people that are against NATO.
SpaceX already has DoD contracts, which makes them a defense contractor. Musk even allegedly has a security clearance which is currently under review due to his ketamine use.
A likelier scenario is that Putin falls due to pressure from within and all the Peter Thiel stooges in the US who supported his desired end state will have a bit of explaining to do.
He's absolutely right. Those officials moaning about the counteroffensive sitting in their office, should explain first why the last significant sanction wave was in 2022.
We should also ask Joe Biden why he has not put Russia on the list of state sponsors of terrorism alongside Syria, North Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran yet. That would be a major step opening the door to more extreme sanctions, which should apply and come from all angles for as long as Putin's regime remains anyway.
True and the sad part is, we already know the answer. Greed. Our money is more important than real pressure on Putin. This is also a big reason, why Russia doesn't show any signs to end this war in the near future. The Kremlin knows the west isn't prepared to cut ties with Russia completely, no matter how many horrendous war crimes they'll commit in Ukraine. And they have been finding ways to get around the sanctions for some time now. They import electronics and other banned goods via neighboring countries, they're selling their resources through India and China. And now Russia is blackmailing the UN to return to the grain agreement, if they lift more sanctions.
The big picture is absolutely pathetic if you think about it what Russia has done to Ukraine and the world since 1.5 years. And Putin sees this as a sign of weakness, that's why he is still confident.
Erdogan can go feck himself and look for other ways to make money.
I've seen this account post tweets and refer to Bloomberg as a source but could never find the actual Bloomberg article.
It's mostly Greek companies doing the shipping, isn't it? I wish journalists would call out Greek corruption more clearly and frequently. Create a pressure point.. Always reporting "well someone is shipping oil.." is proving about as effective as not reporting it at all.
From the shipping, to blocking sanctions, to blocking arms deliveries - it's quite ridiculous how big a helper to the Russians this otherwise fairly insignificant country appears to be.
And all that after they already causes all kinds of problems for the EU with their financial corruption and mismanagement just a few of years ago.
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