Kyiv rejects Musk's claim that Ukraine breached Starlink rules

Serhiy Beskrestnov, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on defence technology development, has dismissed claims by US businessman Elon Musk that Ukraine's armed forces broke the terms of use of the Starlink satellite internet service. The dispute followed restrictions imposed last week on satellite communications that Ukraine relies on in its war with Russia, which rendered some of its drones unusable.

Beskrestnov's response

In a Telegram post, Beskrestnov said drones operating in Ukraine via Starlink have a speed limit of 70 to 90 kilometres per hour and do not work on Russian territory. In his words, the commercial Starlink system therefore physically cannot be used for long- or medium-range strikes. He called it very strange that Musk is unaware of these limitations.

Ukraine uses Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink, for battlefield communications, medium-range strikes on Russian-occupied territory and its interceptor drones. Kyiv also uses the civilian Starlink system, but not for military operations.

What happened

The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had limited the speed at which Ukrainian equipment could connect to Starshield. Commanders reported lost drones and interrupted missions. Ukrainian officials said the restrictions were lifted on Saturday and the service restored.

Musk acknowledged on Saturday that his company SpaceX had restricted Starlink operations in Ukraine. He said the civilian service was never permitted for drone attacks and that the loophole had been closed. At the same time, Musk claimed the US government controlled all changes to Starshield. US President Donald Trump has said he did not make such a decision, while Vice President JD Vance indirectly pointed to coordination between the White House and Musk. It remains unclear who ordered the restrictions.

Political background

The restrictions heightened tension between Kyiv and Washington, whose relations were already strained over Trump's agreement with Moscow on diesel imports from Russia. The service was restored after a new US diplomatic initiative: Russia agreed to resume trilateral talks with the US and Ukraine next month, and the US said First Lady Melania Trump had secured a local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the city of Oleshky.