[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, who has been providing the satellite internet service 'Starlink' to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia, stated on the 14th (local time) that it is difficult to continue this service in Ukraine.
On the same day, Musk posted on his Twitter, "SpaceX has not demanded reimbursement for the costs supported so far (for Ukraine), but that does not mean we can indefinitely fund the current system," and requested financial support for the service. Musk also argued, "We cannot send thousands of terminals that use up to 100 times more data than an average household (to Ukraine)," calling it "unreasonable."
SpaceX has been providing Starlink service to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in February. Despite the destruction of Ukraine's communication infrastructure, this service is highly regarded for playing a major role in keeping the Ukrainian government and military online.
This tweet came after reports that SpaceX billed the U.S. Department of Defense for the Starlink service provided to Ukraine.
According to documents obtained by CNN, SpaceX stated, "We can no longer bear the financial burden of the Starlink service," and demanded that the U.S. Department of Defense pay for the service usage fees provided to the Ukrainian government and military. The proposed cost for one year of service was $400 million (approximately 571.5 billion KRW).
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