16/10/2022
Elon Musk says his rocket firm SpaceX will continue funding its Starlink internet service in Ukraine, a day after he said it could no longer do so.
"The hell with it... Even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we'll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free," he tweeted.
Starlink has been vital for Ukraine's military and people to stay online.
Ukraine says it helped to reboot key infrastructure after Russian attacks.
Energy installations were among facilities targeted by more than 100 Russian missiles this week. Starlink consists of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit and ground terminals.
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Last month Mr Musk, the Tesla boss and world's richest man, asked the Pentagon to fund the Starlink programme instead of him, according to US media.
And on Friday he tweeted: "SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely". That move drew strong criticism.
Mr Musk earlier provoked Kyiv's ire by suggesting Ukraine could cede territory to Russia.
A Starlink terminal seen providing Kharkiv, Ukraine, with internet last month
IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
A Starlink terminal seen providing Kharkiv, Ukraine, with internet last month
The Starlink programme costs $20m (£18m) per month to maintain, according to Mr Musk. He recently said SpaceX had spent $80m so far to keep Ukraine online.
"In addition to terminals, we have to create, launch, maintain & replenish satellites & ground stations," he wrote on Twitter.
"We've also had to defend against cyberattacks & jamming, which are getting harder."
Ukraine's vice-Prime Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, downplayed tensions with Mr Musk, writing on Twitter that the billionaire "is among the world's top private donors supporting Ukraine".
"Starlink is an essential element of our critical infrastructure," he wrote.
Earlier this month, Mr Musk tweeted out a proposal that Ukraine accept Russia's annexation of Crimea and allow referendums in Ukrainian regions invaded by Moscow.
The Kremlin responded positively to the overture.
