Ukraine has quickly devolved into a bottomless money pit for the countless nations and corporations that have been bankrolling its war against Russia.
On Friday, billionaire Elon Musk hilariously trolled a pro-Ukraine reporter who tweeted that SpaceX may no longer be able to supply its Starlink satellite internet terminals free to Ukraine due to the prohibitive costs of operating them.
In response to the Kiev Post correspondent’s tweet noting that the move “comes days after Ukrainian Ambassador @MelnykAndrij told Musk to ‘f*** off,’ the SpaceX founder quipped: “We’re just following his recommendation.”
We’re just following his recommendation 🤷♂️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
Musk revealed last week that providing Starlink terminals and service to Ukraine has cost SpaceX $80 million, and that the costs will top $100 million by the end of the year.
Bad reporting by FT. This article falsely claims that Starlink terminals & service were paid for, when only a small percentage have been.
This operation has cost SpaceX $80M & will exceed $100M by end of year.
As for what’s happening on the battlefield, that’s classified.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2022
Musk made the revelation shortly after he was viciously attacked by saber-rattling warmongers on both sides of the political aisle for proposing a peace plan.
Should the United States increase spending on Ukraine?
Yes: 7% (149 Votes)
No: 93% (2089 Votes)
Predictably, his tweet was barraged by trolls accusing him of being a sympathizer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, even though Musk has vocally expressed his support for Ukraine and even put his money where his mouth is by providing free satellite service to the war-torn nation.
As a reminder, just days after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, SpaceX donated 20,000 Starlink satellite units after Ukrainian officials begged him for help.
The satellite internet terminals were a game-changer for the Ukrainian military after the nation’s cellular phone and internet networks were destroyed by war.
But this financially draining charitable contribution could soon be coming to an end because it’s simply too expensive, according to CNN.
“Documents obtained by CNN show that last month, Musk’s SpaceX sent a letter to the Pentagon saying it can no longer continue to fund the Starlink service as it has,” the liberal cable network reported on Friday.
“The letter also requested that the Pentagon take over funding for Ukraine’s government and military use of Starlink, which SpaceX claims would cost more than $120 million for the rest of the year and could cost close to $400 million for the next 12 months.”
According to SpaceX documents sent to the Pentagon and seen by CNN, the Ukrainian military’s commanding general, General Valerii Zaluzhniy, had sent a direct request to Musk in July, asking him for 8,000 more Starlink terminals.
In September — at least several days before Ukrainian Ambassador Andrij Melnik responded so undiplomatically to Musk’s peace proposal in an Oct. 3 tweet — SpaceX’s director of government sales wrote to the Pentagon, saying, “We are not in a position to further donate terminals to Ukraine, or fund the existing terminals for an indefinite period of time.”
Despite this behind-the-scenes grovelling for aid, it’s shocking that Ukrainian officials such as Melnyk and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have publicly scorned Musk in spite of his efforts to help them.
Zelenskyy’s repeated requests for more money — and his cavalier sense of entitlement — has eroded some of the public support he initially basked in following the Russian invasion.
NOT another penny!! Who does he think he is!!!??
Zelenskyy Says the West Owes Ukraine $750 Billion via @WestJournalism https://t.co/bDzz9qcgDC— Carrie Hartwig (@CarrieMyHart) July 9, 2022
Welfare queens. https://t.co/mNkvqu8jNz
— RAMZPAUL (@ramzpaul) October 14, 2022
Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa): Ukraine needs $38 billion to cover our budget deficit next yr; we need $17 billion to “rebuild the critical infrastructure”; we need $2 billion to rebuild our “electric energy infrastructure”; & we need “not less than $5 billion” for gas & coal purchases pic.twitter.com/8WpHrdMwQQ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 13, 2022
As we enter the eighth month of the Russia-Ukraine war — with no end in sight — Americans are growing weary of politicians and their media puppets who insist that our tax dollars must be sent to defend another nation’s sovereignty and borders while our own southern border is barraged daily by unvetted armies of illegal aliens.
As more time passes in this regional border dispute, Ukraine will soon learn that biting the hand that feeds you is a losing strategy and that you can wear out people’s generosity with nonstop panhandling.
Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy calls for NATO strikes in Russia to combat its nuclear capabilities:
“Preemptive strikes are needed so that they know what awaits them if they use nuclear weapons. Not the other way around.”pic.twitter.com/iKAXsZXpZY@InterfaxUkr https://t.co/TdbhkQ2KXT
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) October 6, 2022
When push comes to shove, we should ask ourselves: Is Ukraine worth starting a nuclear World World III over?
If you think it is, I’m sure Zelenskyy would be happy to take your money — and gladly accept your offer to fight on the front lines.
