Elon Musk said SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink internet service after the country allegedly violated terms of service by using it for military drone strikes. Musk wrote on X on Saturday that "using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed" and that Ukraine's military closed this loophole last week.
The service appeared to be restored on Saturday, with Ukraine's Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara reporting "stable connection" and drones now reaching speeds exceeding 400km/h, compared to earlier restrictions of 161km/h. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the speeds were "now where they need to be."
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov disputed Musk's characterization. He said drones using Starlink in Ukraine had speed restrictions of 70-90km/h and did not work on Russian territory, making deep or medium-range strikes physically impossible via the civilian service. "It is very strange that Elon Musk is not aware of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine," Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.
The connectivity issues began last week during tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Musk had earlier denied deliberately throttling the service. He noted that SpaceX operates both Starlink, the civilian network, and Starshield, a more secure military-grade system controlled by the US government. Musk said Starlink can support military infrastructure but not "unequivocally offensive strikes."
The timing proved contentious. President Donald Trump said Saturday he had told Musk to restore the service, though Trump has repeatedly denied instructing SpaceX to limit it in the first place. Trump has criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for pushing global fuel prices higher. His administration has since waived some Russia sanctions and agreed a deal to supply Russian diesel to US and global markets, a move European allies say funds Moscow's war effort.
Musk stated SpaceX "has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth" and reiterated that Starshield was separate from Starlink and controlled by Washington. Ukraine uses both systems for different operational needs: Starlink for battlefield coordination and Starshield for real-time drone targeting and interception operations.