In February, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced his support for Ukraine when he shipped Starlink user terminals to the country. Due to Russia’s invasion, the country has been riddled with power outages and sporadic internet connections. That was no longer a problem thanks to Musk who simply replied, “You are most welcome”. Using low-orbit satellites, Starlink is able to provide coverage to the whole country, helping the Ukrainian military keep in contact with troops and commanders on the ground. But while Musk received a mountain of praise for his supposed generosity, it seems that now he is calling on the American government to cover the tap for Starlink’s sustainability in Ukraine.

Receiving a letter from SpaceX, apparently, the company is no longer able to afford the Starlink terminals that were sent to Ukraine. To date, 20,000 Starlink units have been donated to Ukraine. Elon Musk admitted, “operation has cost SpaceX $80 million and will exceed $100 million by the end of the year.” In order for the terminals to continue operations, SpaceX is wanting the government to contribute tens of millions of dollars each month so that the service can continue.

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Dated September 8th, the letter, which was sent from the SpaceX director, reads, “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.” Just a few months ago, a Ukrainian military’s commanding General Valerii Zaluzhniy requested an additional 8,000 terminals from SpaceX. Another letter from SpaceX wrote, “SpaceX faces terribly difficult decisions here. I do not think they have the financial ability to provide any additional terminals or service as requested by General Zaluzhniy.”

As mentioned above, when the terminals first arrived in Ukraine, Elon Musk received high praise and was thought to be a hero for his selfless act. But those first waves of terminals weren’t free and weren’t technically from Musk. According to Politico, the majority of the terminals gifted to Ukraine were purchased by the U.K., the American government, and Poland. Poland happened to be one of the largest buyers as they purchased 9,000 units. Each unit ranges from $1,500 to $2,500 depending on the model.

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While the cost is staggering, it should be noted that SpaceX wanting to hand off the bill made headlines after Musk offered a peace plan to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk responded to the billionaire, “Fuck off is my very diplomatic reply to you Elon Musk”.

Although the letter was sent weeks before the heated exchange, Elon Musk discussed the Starlink terminals and even the words from Andrij Melnyk, noting, “We’re just following his recommendation.”

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A person close to the issue explained, “Ukraine knows that its current government and wartime efforts are totally dependent on Starlink. The decision to keep Starlink running or not rests entirely in the hands of one man. That’s Elon Musk. He hasn’t been elected, no one decided to give him that power. He has it because of the technology and the company he built.”

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