Dmitry Rogozin, the Russian space leader, is said to have threatened Elon Musk, but the SpaceX founder and CEO appears unconcerned.
Musk shared a note given to Russian media by Rogozin, the chairman of Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos, on Twitter on Sunday (May 8). The memo alleged that the US military had provided equipment for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite-internet system to Ukrainian marines and “militants of the Nazi Azov battalion.”
According to an English translation uploaded by Musk, “Elon Musk is thus complicit in arming the fascist forces in Ukraine with military communication technology.” (A Russian version was also tweeted.) “And for this, Elon, no matter how much you play the fool, you will be held accountable like an adult.”
Musk acknowledged in a follow-up tweet on Sunday that this sounds like a threat.
“It’s been good knowing ya,” he wrote, even if he died mysteriously.
Maye Musk, Musk’s mother, was not amused by the flippant remark, tweeted, “That’s not funny” with two angry-face emojis. The millionaire businessman said, “Sorry I’ll do my best to stay alive.” (After all, it was Mother’s Day.)
Musk doesn’t appear to be concerned about Rogozin’s safety, which is understandable given his bravado and hyperbole. For example, Russia’s Roscosmos chairman has frequently stated that if sanctions imposed in the aftermath of the invasion are not lifted, Russia may withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) program, but the orbiting laboratory is operating as usual.
Musk and Rogozin have previously exchanged barbs. Rogozin, for example, said in 2014 that the US should use a trampoline to get its astronauts to the ISS, referring to the fact that the country was fully reliant on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for crewed orbital missions at the time. (At the time, Rogozin, Russia’s deputy prime minister, was enraged by sanctions imposed shortly after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, which had previously been Ukrainian territory.)
With its groundbreaking Demo-2 flight to the International Space Station in May 2020, SpaceX put a stop to such reliance. Musk gave a six-year-in-the-making retort to Rogozin shortly after the liftoff: “The trampoline is working!”
SpaceX, Musk, and the US Agency for International Development have all expressed interest in delivering Starlink terminals to Ukraine to assist in the maintenance of some of the country’s communications infrastructure amid Russia’s continuing invasion. Late February, just after the assault began, Ukrainian officials requested such equipment.
