X Outages: Musk blames Ukraine as dark storm claims attack

Elon Musk blamed Ukrainian forces for the global X outage on Monday, just hours after hacking group Dark Storm claimed responsibility. Speaking to Fox News, Musk admitted uncertainty about the attack’s origins but pointed to IP addresses from Ukraine. “We’re not sure exactly what happened, but there was a massive cyberattack to bring down the X system,” he said.

Earlier, Musk posted on X, confirming an ongoing attack. “We get attacked every day, but this one involved significant resources. Either a large coordinated group or a nation is behind it. Tracing…” he wrote.

X, formerly Twitter, experienced repeated disruptions throughout Monday. Downdetector, a site tracking online service outages, logged thousands of complaints. Over 18,000 users in the US, 10,000 in the UK, and 2,000 in India reported issues.

Meanwhile, Dark Storm, a pro-Palestinian hacking group, took credit for the attack on Telegram. The group, known for targeting pro-Israel nations, claimed to have “taken Twitter offline.”

Musk’s accusations came amid rising tensions between the US and Ukraine. On February 28, a heated exchange between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office further strained relations. Musk fueled the debate by re-posting claims that USAID-backed Ukrainian groups had blacklisted Trump officials, including Vice President JD Vance.

Despite growing tensions, Musk reaffirmed Starlink’s commitment to Ukraine. “No matter how much I disagree with Ukraine’s policy, Starlink will never turn off its terminals,” he stated.

The controversy surrounding X’s outage and Musk’s comments adds to the complex geopolitical landscape, highlighting the deepening divide between key global players.