Musk says SpaceX restricted Ukraine Starlink access as service is restored
Musk says Ukraine's military breached Starlink terms via offensive drone strikes; Kyiv reports connectivity restored as officials dispute his account.
The story in focus
Elon Musk said SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink service after accusing Kyiv's military of violating terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes, BBC News reported. Ukrainian officials said connectivity had been restored, with the defence minister citing a stable connection and Zelensky saying speeds were where they needed to be.
- Musk said on X that Ukraine's military violated Starlink terms of service and that the loophole was closed last week.
- Musk denied responsibility for a simultaneous Starshield issue, saying that system is controlled by the US government.
- Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov called Musk's post very strange, saying drones on Starlink were speed-limited and did not operate on Russian territory.
- Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said a stable connection was recorded, with drones reaching speeds above 400km/h.
- President Zelensky said on Telegram that speeds were now where they needed to be.
Restriction and restored connection
Elon Musk said SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink internet service, BBC News reported, after accusing the country's military of violating terms of service by using the civilian system for offensive drone strikes. He wrote on X on Saturday that the loophole was closed last week and that using Starlink for such strikes to kill people had never been allowed.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said earlier on Saturday that the military was recording a stable connection, with drones able to reach speeds above 400km/h. President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram that speeds were now where they needed to be. Kyiv had previously said the connection cut out above 161km/h.
Musk did not disclose in his post why SpaceX made the change last week, when Ukraine's extensive Starlink use had been known for several years, according to BBC News.
Dispute over the account
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said Musk's post was very strange. He said drones operating via Starlink in Ukraine had a speed restriction of 70-90km/h and did not work on Russian territory, so Ukraine physically could not use commercial Starlink for deep or medium-range strikes. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine's defence ministry.
Musk denied being responsible for a simultaneous issue with Starshield, the US-run military-grade counterpart. He said Starshield is a different system controlled by the US government and that decisions on it are up to them.
The connection issues coincided with a diplomatic standoff between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Trump said he had told Musk to put the service back, having repeatedly denied instructing him to limit it.
Did Ukraine's military use Starlink for offensive drone strikes, as Musk claims?
Musk said Ukraine violated Starlink terms by using it for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian adviser Beskrestnov disputed this, saying speed limits and coverage restrictions meant Kyiv could not use commercial Starlink for deep strikes. Kyiv has not officially commented.
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