Tesla and Starlink CEO Elon Musk has threatened to shut down the internet in Ukraine, which has sparked a new controversy. Musk said that if he shut down his Starlink internet system in Ukraine, Ukraine’s defense line would collapse. His Starlink internet system has been a vital communications tool for the Ukrainian army, especially during the war. Musk wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), “The Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. I am very concerned about this war and the carnage that Ukraine may ultimately lose.” However, Musk later made another post explaining his comments. He said, “No matter how much I criticize Ukraine’s policy, I will never close Starlink terminals there. I will never use it as a bargaining chip.” Responding to Musk’s previous post, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote in a tweet that Poland contributes $50 million (about Rs. 436 crore) annually to Ukraine’s Starlink internet service. He said that threatening or intimidating war victims is one thing, but if SpaceX is no longer reliable as an internet provider, we will have to find an alternative. Musk responded to Sikorski’s statement by writing, “Shut up, little man. You are only paying a fraction of the price of Starlink. There is no alternative to Starlink anyway.” Starlink’s Role and Controversy Starlink is a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, which deploys a network of satellites in low Earth orbit and provides space-based broadband connectivity worldwide. During the war in Ukraine, the service has been instrumental in helping the Ukrainian military maintain military communications, especially when internet and communications networks on the ground are under attack.