Ukraine blinded: Musk deflects blame on Trump, Putin sharpens attack

As wars continue to rage in Ukraine and West Asia, Starlink has emerged as a powerful tool not just for civilians, but also for the military. And now it's at the center of a major row, while Ukraine has cried foul because of a sudden Starlink restriction, Iran meanwhile pledging a tougher crackdown on the service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Let's just break down what's emerged so far. First, the latest from the battlefield. Four people were injured in the city of Odessa in an alleged Russian attack. Footage showed the moment when a jet-powered drone struck a supermarket, resulting in a major fire. Subsequently, the store was partially destroyed and cars were damaged. You see, at a time when Ukraine's defense capabilities have been impacted, Russia reportedly fired over 850 Shahed drones across various cities, including the capital. Ukraine since the early hours of Thursday three people were killed six others were injured in an alleged Russian drone attack this was in Ukraine's Kirovohrad region businesses logistics centers warehouses residential buildings were reportedly hit three others were killed in a strike on the Dnipro as well in another development two vessels off Romania's coast were struck overnight by aerial drones and this included a San Marino flagged vessel in the Black Sea which caught fire overnight according to Romania seven crew members are still missing while Moscow has not been linked to this incident until now suspected Russian drones have hit several ships off the coast of Romania and Bulgaria remember since last week amid a surge in attacks against Ukraine defense experts claiming that Russia has nearly finished building a major new base for launching jet-powered drones in just six weeks. Located in the Rostov region, satellite imagery indicating that the facility was the size of around 126 football fields. And this assumes significance as Ukraine, remember, is struggling to intercept the Russian jet-powered drones that can travel at up to 600 kilometers per hour. On the other hand, Ukraine's military claiming to have destroyed four military aircraft and hit two others reportedly in an overnight strike on an airfield in Russia's Voronezh region allegedly. This large fighter bomber costing millions of US dollars is reportedly used by Russia to drop glide bombs onto Ukrainian cities near the front line. Now in the wake of Donald Trump striking that deal with Putin to import tons of diesel to ease the high prices for Americans ahead of the midterm elections. Zelensky stressing he felt betrayed by the US president. Terming the restrictions on Starlink a big mistake. He also claimed that this decision will lead to a lot of human losses and urged Musk to restore the service. But then why exactly is Starlink so important for Ukraine. Let's just tell you more about this. It essentially helps the military by providing high speed and jam resistant satellite internet that basically connects combat units, command posts and unmanned systems in real time. Starlink enabled connections, helping pilots maintain links with drones, thereby supporting operations against Russian military positions, supply lines and infrastructure. That's how important it is. After SpaceX reportedly imposed a speed limit on Starlink terminals, Ukraine's 7th Air Assault Corps reported that some drones started experiencing connection losses for 10 to 20 seconds while traveling at speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. These interruptions made it harder for them to control and slowing them down increased their vulnerability as well to Russian attacks, reportedly. The problem was particularly severe for the medium-range strike drones, which require relatively high speeds during takeoff. According to Zelensky's advisor, the Starlink curbs disrupted a number of missions and also threatened Ukraine's ability to intercept the Russian drones. He highlighted that Starlink remained the most effective tool for enabling interceptors to shoot down Russia's jet-powered drones. Defense experts also reportedly flagging the impact of Starlink restrictions on Ukrainian drones. Listen to this. It's really affecting these drones. It's air systems that are going to be affected because those are the things that are going to be going fast enough that they're going to exceed the speed limit and get cut off the network. Meanwhile, on his part, Elon Musk sought to pass the buck to Donald Trump. Interestingly, the SpaceX CEO said the concerns pertain to Starshield, which he claimed was owned and controlled by the U.S. government. He said, I'm quoting, any limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately the U.S. president, quote unquote. While Starshield is designed for government use and provides users with the ability to integrate sensors on drones, its secure communications rely on Starlink. In Iran, however, Starlink has been under the radar for a completely different reason. Outlawed in Iran on national security grounds, this satellite internet service has emerged as an alternative for people who seek to bypass the country's internet curbs and shutdowns. For instance, the Masoud Pezeshkian-led government shut down the internet for a staggering 88 days, remember, following the start of the war on the 28th of February. But Iran is viewing it as a strategic vulnerability. A top official, in fact, described Starlink as a tool of war for enemies, who he claimed were using it for espionage and information gathering. While the scale of Starlink usage in Iran is tough to actually estimate, ex-Israeli leader Naftali Bennett claimed to have smuggled thousands of Starlink devices into Iran from 2021 to 2022 to aid the protesters. According to reports, the Iranian authorities use a combination of measures to block Starlink connections. And this includes using jammers to disrupt services, along with spoofed GPS locations to slow new devices being set up. And besides this, Iran also tries to physically intercept terminals via raids. And it's important to note here that an Iranian faces six months to two years in jail simply for using Starlink, importing and distributing Starlink devices, carries a jail sentence of up to 10 years. In case national security or espionage charges are involved, individuals can even face the death penalty reportedly. And amid Musk complaining about Starlink's delayed launch in India, Ukraine's experience providing food for thought as well. It also in a way goes on to show how reliance on satellite technology controlled by a foreign power can prove to be a double-edged sword in times of conflict sometimes. To stay up to speed with the latest news, download the WeOn app and subscribe to our YouTube channel.