Elon Musk is accused of thwarting a Ukrainian drone strike on a Russian ship off Crimea after 'refusing them access to the Starlink satellite network'

Ukraine has been forced to abort several planned drone strikes on Russian targets after Elon Musk refused to grant access to the Starlink satellite network for offensive military maneuvers, a report has claimed. In the wake of the aborted strike, Ukraine army chief Valery Zaluzhnyi reportedly sought contact with U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, alleging that Musk had the ability to dictate his military's capabilities to attack key Russian targets. SpaceX CEO Musk, 52, has reportedly denied the Ukrainian military the use of his Starlink network on several occasions, scuppering planned attacks on Russian targets, according to a report by the New York Times A handout photo made available by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, attending an event on the occasion of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood held on Mykhailivska Square in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, 28 July 2023 Musk, whose offered his network of satellites to support Ukraine's wartime communications for free in 2022, has maintained from the outset that his technology is meant 'for peaceful use only' Musk's Starlink satellites have provided essential comms support for Ukraine's military since Russia invaded The latest controversy over Starlink's use for offensive military maneuvers comes after Gwynne Shotwell, the President of SpaceX, in February formally announced the company was limiting Ukraine's use of Starlink for military purposes. Drones used in the field are able to use the Starlink to keep connected and provide intelligence as internet and power outages plague Ukraine A dramatic video has shown how Ukraine is stepping up its use of kamikaze boats to attack Vladimir Putin's warship in the Black Sea In response to the most recent aborted attack as a result of Musk's restriction of the Starlink service to Kyiv's forces, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told The Telegraph: 'The issue is that at critical stages of the war, we desperately need absolute operational and technical independence.