Ukrainian entitlement to American financial and technological aid continues as Elon Musk has reportedly found himself on a Ukrainian “kill list.”
Musk’s company, SpaceX, has funded the installation and maintenance of various Starlink internet terminals across Ukraine to support the Ukrainian people during Russia’s incursion.
“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine,” Musk tweeted in response to a Ukrainian official’s cry for help immediately after the Feb. 24 invasion. “More terminals en route.”
According to NBC News, however, Musk has petitioned the U.S. Department of Defense to pay a sum of $124 million to cover service costs through the remainder of 2022.
This perceived reneging on promises to continue funding the Starlink terminals has not brought Musk favor in Ukraine.
This is also not the first time Musk has drawn the ire of those with strong ties to Ukraine.
As Fox Business reported, Musk recently published a poll on his Twitter account listing the likely — unfavorable — end results of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Ukraine-Russia Peace:
– Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is will of the people.
– Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake).
– Water supply to Crimea assured.
– Ukraine remains neutral.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 3, 2022
Should Elon Musk continue to provide free Stalink service to Ukraine?
Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andrij Melnyk told Musk to “f**k off” in response to the poll.
Then came Musk’s announcement that his company might no longer be able to afford to keep the Ukrainian’s supplied with Starlink services.
According to Newsweek, Musk replied with: “We’re just following his recommendation,” followed by a shrug emoji in reference to Melnyk’s heated tweet response.
It is not surprising then, that Musk’s face has recently appeared what independent journalist Eva Karene Bartlett described in a Twitter post as a “kill list” kept on the website of a Kyiv-based group called Myrotvorets (or “peacemaker”).
Musk added to Ukraine’s Myrotvorets kill list (which includes 327 children!)
I’ve been speaking & writing about this list for years, after being placed on it in 2019, but now that Musk is on it, after Roger Waters & others, perhaps the “peacemaker” list might itself be killed… pic.twitter.com/lLUxnReZZp
— Eva Karene Bartlett (@EvaKBartlett) October 14, 2022
Musk responded to Bartlett’s tweet with what appeared to be genuine curiosity, first tweeting “Is this real? What’s the URL?”
Is this list real? What’s the URL?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
He then followed that up with another tweet containing a link to the group’s Wikipedia page and the word: “Concerning.”
Concerning
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
Other notable names on the list include former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, according to DW.com, the website of the state-owned broadcasting service in Germany.
“It’s not clear who exactly is behind Myrotvorets. Initially, it was assumed to be an advisor to the interior minister. The website says it’s the work of an independent, non-governmental organization founded by a group of researchers, journalists and experts,” DW.com explained.
“In essence, Myrotvorets acts like a public pillory. The site publishes the personal information, names and addresses of people considered to be pro-Russian separatists, their accomplices, or ‘agents of the Kremlin.’”
Whether the Myrotvorets list is a “kill list” appears to depend on whose side in the Russia-Ukraine war is talking.
An August column posted to the website Medium by an apparently pro-Russian writer wrote that when names that make the list are killed, they get the Ukrainian word for “liquidated” stamped across their picture in block, red letters.
Using the word “Nazi” liberally to describe the Ukraine government and its supporters, writer Deborah Armstrong suggested Myrotvorets has ties to American intelligence services.
She also wrote that Daria Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian intellectual who supports Russian President Vladimir Putin, was one of those who had “liquidated” stamped on her face after her death in an explosion in August.
However, there’s no actual connection asserted between the list and Dugina’s death. That didn’t stop Armstrong’s criticism.
“Why this site is allowed to operate is a good question,” Armstrong wrote. “But you can access it easily, and even donate money to help the cause, if you are sympathetic to Nazis and think that assassinating people for their opinions is a wholesome way to support Ukraine.”
That’s a bit stronger than the “pillory” Deutsche Welle described.
Whether alarmed by the alleged threat or doubling down on sarcasm, Musk tweeted just yesterday, “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” according to CNBC.
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
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
Regardless of the truth about Myrotvorets — whether it’s a public information site with a purpose, as DW.com described it, or a site for anyone “sympathetic to Nazis” — this entire issue demonstrates how desperate both sides are to win the propaganda side of the war.
According to the Corruption Perception Index, Ukraine and Russia are two of the most corrupt countries in Europe.
With this in mind, it’s important to remember there is really no limit to the danger of lies from either side about the conduct of the war.
Damaging, demoralizing information campaigns like these are what make finding any credible truth about this complicated conflict almost impossible.
It will be interesting to see what other notable faces appear on lists like these as the conflict continues on into winter.
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