Ukrainians Stunned: Elon Musk Shares Private Chats with Biographer

• Financial

Elon Musk, the maverick billionaire known for spearheading ventures like Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media platform X (previously Twitter), has once again sparked controversy. This time, not for his ambitious ventures, but for allegedly providing unauthorized access to private messages between him and Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister, Mikhail Fedorov.

In a shocking revelation, Fedorov told the Financial Times that the messages he exchanged with Musk were handed over to biographer Walter Isaacson without his consent.

Starlink: A Game Changer in Ukrainian Warfare?

The biography by Isaacson details how Musk proactively intervened to halt Ukrainian military access to Starlink in territories occupied by Russia.

As a result, a covert operation involving Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels targeting the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol was thwarted. In one revealing text exchange detailed in Isaacson’s book and a subsequent Washington Post column, Fedorov is seen imploring Musk to re-enable Starlink for Ukrainian forces.

He remarked, “It’s not very pretty,” during an interview in Kyiv, reiterating his earlier sentiment on never intending to disclose these communications. However, it wasn't all criticism from the Deputy Prime Minister.

Despite the turn of events, Fedorov, who has been vocal about his appreciation for Musk providing Starlink service, reaffirmed his thankfulness. "I understand why he released these because I tell him how great he is and that he should save humanity," he jestingly said, hinting at Musk’s renowned ambition to better humanity.

Ukraine's Growing Resentment

The broader Ukrainian officialdom, however, hasn't been as mild in their critique. Mykhailo Podolyak, a close aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held Musk responsible for sparing Russian vessels that later attacked Ukrainian cities. “This is the price of a cocktail of ignorance and big ego,” Podolyak rebuked on Musk’s platform X, emphasizing the dire consequences of such decisions.