Elon Musk says it would not be easy for Russia and China to 'take out' Starlink satellites if they attempted to

• Elon Musk said it would be tough to destroy Starlink satellites because of the amount in operation.
• Musk previously sent Starlink systems to Ukraine upon request from the digital minister.

Elon Musk reacted quickly when he was asked by Ukraine's digital minister to send Starlink systems as Russia invaded the country.

In an interview with Mathias Döpfner, the CEO Axel Springer, Insider's parent company, the SpaceX and Tesla founder discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, space travel, and what makes human beings special.

Prompted on whether there would be a potential threat if Starlink satellites were targeted by Russia and China, Musk said: "It was interesting to view the Russia anti-satellite demonstration a few months ago in the context of this conflict."

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"It caused a lot of strife for satellite operators. It even had some danger for the space station, where there are Russian cosmonauts," he added.

The Starlink satellite system is helping an elite Ukrainian drone unit destroy Russian weaponry, Insider previously reported. The system ensures drone teams can work even if there are internet or power outages.

However, Musk warned Starlink users in Ukraine that they should turn to the system "only when needed," as they may be targeted in the ongoing war.

According to Musk, it would be challenging to "take out" the satellites. "If you attempt to take out Starlink, this is not easy because there are 2,000 satellites," he said.

He added: "That means a lot of anti-satellite missiles. I hope we do not have to put this to a test, but I think we can launch satellites faster than they can launch anti-satellite missiles."

In the interview with Döpfner, Musk said it was imperative that Russia's President Vladimir Putin was stopped. "I think the American government has done more than people may realize. But it is just not been very public," he said.

He continued: "But it is important to do something serious," adding "we cannot let Putin take over Ukraine. This is crazy."