クロスポスト: https://hexbear.net/post/539800
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk reportedly caused a geopolitical crisis last year, when Ukrainian forces—which have relied heavily on the company’s Starlink satellite communications—were on the verge of striking Russian naval vessels off the coast of Crimea with submersible drones. Concerned that the attack would provoke Russia into using nuclear weapons, Musk unilaterally opted to sever the submarines’ satellite connection, throwing a wrench in the entire assault.
The incident—shared by CNN based on an adapted excerpt from an upcoming book by Walter Isaacson—demonstrates Musk’s increasing unwillingness to lend his satellite network to offensive maneuvers waged by Ukraine. “How am I in this war?” “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.”
After foiling the attack, Musk reportedly received a desperate text from a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who asked that Musk reinstate the Starlink connection to the drones. “I just want you—the person who is changing the world through technology—to know this,” Fedorov wrote. But Musk refused to reverse course, telling Fedorov that Ukraine “is now going too far and inviting strategic defeat.”
Apparently he was worried that the assault would provoke nuclear war. Musk showing actual thought for the first time in ever.
What a terrible excuse. Russians constantly claims they will do things, and it’s always a lie. Why the hell would musk think they’re going to retaliate with nukes? I’m sure if they were going to, they would have by now. Saying he was afraid Russia would use nukes makes him sound like a little bitch.
He asks how is he in this war? Does he not remember signing a contract with the government? I guess he didn’t read the contract, just saw the $ and considered it a donation.
i dunno man the last time someone attacked some dudes boats in dock - they ended getting nuked twice, i wouldn’t say it’s unjustifiable
That’s not remotely comparable. They are at war. Are you saying Ukraine just can’t attack Russian ships?
Using nukes is never justifiable. Anyone who even thinks of using nukes should be held far away from power and authority.
I’ll tell Putin that School_Lunch@lemmy.world thinks that he and the entire Russian military command shouldn’t be in charge. I’m sure they’ll all resign within the hour.
We shouldn’t look at the world as we would like it to be, but we need to look at it as it actually is. Russia has stated that they will use nukes if they deem it necessary for the preservation of their nation. Is this a good thing? Of course not. But it being an awful thing doesn’t mean we can just wish it out of existence.
You’re right, it’s not comparable. Japan had not even declared war on the US!
It would be better for them if they didn’t, and it would be better for the whole world if the West didn’t help them do it. Because every action has a reaction, and Russia has escalation dominance in Ukraine. Thus the more provocative attacks that the Kiev regime undertakes the worse the consequences of the Russian proportional response will be for Ukraine. And the more the West tries to hurt Russia the worse the backlash on them will be, as we can see with the failure of the sanctions that have devastated Europe while just making Russia stronger.
The smartest thing Ukraine could have done would have been to not start this war in the first place. The second smartest thing would be to stop fighting, else it will just get more and more destroyed.
Whether or not you or i consider the use of nukes justifiable does not change the fact that many states around the world including Russia and the US have a different view on this. We need to deal with reality not with wishful fantasies or moralistic grandstanding. And in reality nuclear states faced with an existential threat will very likely use every weapon at their disposal.
And don’t think that we can push Russia just up to the nuclear threshold and then simply stop there. It doesn’t work that way. An escalation spiral has its own momentum. So far Russia has been extremely patient and restrained in terms of retaliating against the West for its participation in planning and facilitating attacks on Russia and Russian forces. But the West’s involvement in this is already at a level that Russia would be fully justified in viewing as a declaration of war against them.
Don’t be surprised and don’t cry “unprovoked attack” when Russia one day decides to respond accordingly. Again, it would be in the West’s best interests to not gamble on Russia’s patience lasting forever while we continue to escalate. Russia doesn’t need nukes to inflict significant damage on NATO and the US’s assets in and around Europe.
This arrogant and dismissive attitude toward Russia is exactly why this war is happening. Russia did not lie when it warned since 2007 to stop expanding NATO else the entire security situation in Europe would be destabilized. Russia did not lie when it warned that the horrific treatment of ethnic Russians in Ukraine since 2014 needed to stop else there would be serious consequences. People just like you were convinced that they did not need to take Russia’s red lines seriously and that the Russians were just bluffing. And yet you continue to dismiss Russia even when they say with all seriousness that their official doctrine allows for use of nuclear weapons in case of an existential threat to the Russian state and nation. The fact that Russia so far has shown incredible restraint in responding to escalations by Ukraine and its western handlers does not mean that their patience is infinite. What exactly do you gain from gambling on nuclear apocalypse?
Christ, some of y’all are dense. People don’t take Russia seriously because they’re not serious. They’re fucking clowns. Remember when they swore up and down that they weren’t getting ready to invade Ukraine when they were lining up at the border? And then when they did invade it was to clear out Nazis or Ukrainian covid labs or some such nonsense. And then they continuously got their asses handed to them so badly that they had to resort to launching missiles at crowds of innocent people trying to evacuate their homes. Russia’s “Red Lines” were bullshit because they never had a leg to stand on - and after the absolute shit show of the past couple of years, you’re saying now we should take anything they say seriously.
Nukes are the last tool of diplomatic intimidation Russia has left - and if the past is any indication, their nukes are going to be like the 30 year old bottle rockets I found in the back of the garage as a kid. They’ll be lucky if they don’t blow their own country up trying to use the things.
Fuck Russia and fuck you for acting like they have any moral ground to stand on.
