SpaceX’s effort to put an additional 22,488 satellites into low-Earth orbit is facing formal objections from a Ukrainian-American nonprofit organization, which it says is in conflict with CEO Elon Musk’s “Russia Concerns over communications and the alleged use of its Starlink system by Russian forces in Ukraine.”

In a request for a stay and denial of the action filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, the Ukraine Congressional Committee of America (UCCA) also referred negatively. Environmental effects Musk’s potential conflicts of interest due to SpaceX launching in Texas and working with the incoming Trump administration.

SpaceX’s Starlink system has been linked to Ukraine since terminals arrived shortly after Russian troops invaded the neighboring country in early 2022. The following year, the Pentagon agreed to purchase Starlink satellite Internet terminals for use in Ukraine’s ongoing defense against Russia.

However, I September 2023, Ukrainian-Americans lashed out at SpaceX’s CEO after it emerged he botched a major launch. Russian Navy. Musk said at the time that he had told his engineers not to turn on SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network over Crimea to prevent a planned 2022 Ukrainian attack on the Black Sea fleet.

“There is a need to determine whether Starlink has been used to assist a foreign adversary,” UCCA President Michael Saccio, Jr. told CNBC, citing the group’s request and motion to the FCC this week. Regarding the filing decision. “If yes, it is not in the national security interest of Ukrainian-Americans, or the country as a whole.”

The UCCA isn’t the only group concerned about Musk’s ties to the Kremlin.

The Wall Street Journal Reported in October that Musk had engaged in a series of “secret talks” with Russian President Vladimir Putin leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Members of Congress and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson have called for an investigation into the communications.

A month before the Journal story, Newsweek And others reported that Russia had installed Starlink terminals in its Iranian-designed Shahid drones, which were used in its military operations in Ukraine. Starlink did not comment on the story, but earlier in the year, in February, Musk said in one Social media post Reports that Starlink is selling terminals to Russia are “blatantly false” and that “to the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.”

Sawkiw said his group advocates for the concerns of the estimated two million Ukrainian-Americans living in the U.S. today, many of whom arrived after the war began in February 2022.

The Starlink satellites referred to in the petition will enable the company to provide Internet services to more locations around the world as part of its Gen2 NGSO satellite system.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Tim Hughes, senior vice president of global business and government affairs.

If Sawkiw’s group succeeds on the legal merits, the FCC would have to block approvals for SpaceX, allowing time for an environmental review, and plans to resolve conflicts of interest arising from Musk’s new role. Took Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

After reports that vibration and noise from SpaceX launches caused the destruction of nine nests of endangered birds in the area, Musk wrote in a post on X In July, “To atone for this heinous crime, I will refrain from eating omelets for a week.”

Instead of addressing the damage caused by SpaceX launches, Musk “responds to the legitimate concerns of local environmental groups with derision and derision,” Belandiuk wrote in the petition.

UCCA filed comments in a separate FCC action against SpaceX in April related to the company’s request for access to additional spectrum for its StarLink network.

Republican FCC Commissioner Brandon Carr said at the time that the group’s comments were “practically inappropriate and largely without merit” and that it effectively sought to “weaponize the government and break the law” against Musk. is”.

Now, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Carr to lead the FCC in his second administration. Carr’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Bellandiuk told CNBC that his group’s focus isn’t just on Musk or SpaceX.

Beldeniuk said the group took legal action to take down Radio Sputnik, which keeps Russian government propaganda off the public airwaves in the U.S., and is “actively engaged in negotiations with chipmakers who Approved products have been found in Russian weapons systems.”

Look: It is impossible for the DOGE to cut government spending without touching the defense budget.