An influential Russian state television commentator has suggested that Moscow should consider using nuclear weapons in space to target satellites owned by Elon Musk.

“I don’t understand why, for example, Elon Musk’s satellites are not a legitimate target for us,” Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent state television presenter closely associated with the Kremlin, said in a clip circulating online on Monday that was recorded the previous day, The Caspian Post reports, citing Newsweek.

“One nuclear weapon detonation in space, as I understand it, solves this problem,” he added.

The satellite internet network Starlink, operated by Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, has played a critical role for Ukraine on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on the system for communications and for operating extensive drone fleets. The Starlink constellation, made up of thousands of satellites, orbits much closer to Earth than other satellite systems that can provide comparable capabilities.

Ukraine has repeatedly said that Russian forces have also used Starlink terminals along the front line, including in some of the most fiercely contested areas in eastern parts of the country. Musk has strongly denied that Starlink is being sold to Russia, and said on Sunday that his company had effectively clamped down on Moscow’s “unauthorized” use of the system following renewed complaints from Kyiv.

Solovyov acknowledged that detonating a nuclear weapon in space to disable Starlink would also damage Russia’s own satellites. He then added sarcastically: “But we’re way behind anyway-no big deal, we’ll just switch to carrier pigeons.”

According to a report published in December by The Associated Press, intelligence agencies from two NATO member states believe Russia is developing an anti-satellite weapon specifically intended to target Starlink. Such a weapon would scatter debris throughout Starlink’s orbital paths, but would also indiscriminately damage other satellites operating nearby.

Solovyov, known for his often bellicose rhetoric on Russian state media, also accused Musk of having a “huge love affair” with Ukraine’s new defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and argued that Moscow needed to act to prevent what he described as the militarization of space.