Musk says SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink use as connection is restored
Elon Musk says SpaceX restricted Ukraine's Starlink access, accusing Kyiv of using the service for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian officials say the connection is now stable and dispute his claims.
Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of the space company SpaceX and the social network X, said on Saturday that SpaceX had restricted the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine. The statement came after Ukrainian officials reported that connectivity appeared to have been restored following problems lasting more than a week, which they said hampered Ukraine's ability to carry out defensive operations.
Musk's accusations
In a post on X, Musk claimed Ukraine's military had breached Starlink's terms of service by using the civilian commercial system for offensive drone strikes. He said that loophole was closed last week. He added that Starlink can be used for military infrastructure, but not for clearly offensive strikes that would make it a legitimate target for retaliation. Musk denied being responsible for a simultaneous problem with Starshield, the US-run, military-grade system, saying it is separate and controlled by the US government.
Kyiv's response
Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov called the post "very strange". He said Starlink terminals in Ukraine have a speed limit of 70–90 km/h and do not work on Russian territory, so the commercial service cannot be used for deep or medium-range strikes. Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said the military was recording a stable connection, with drones again able to exceed 400 km/h; previously the link cut out above 161 km/h. President Volodymyr Zelensky said speeds were now where they needed to be.
Background
The problems emerged during a diplomatic standoff between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. US President Donald Trump said the strikes push global prices higher, although this year's fuel price rises are mainly due to the Iran war. Zelensky said the US had also threatened to withdraw intelligence sharing, which Trump denied. Trump also denied instructing Musk to limit the service, but said he had told him to "put it back".
Meanwhile, attacks continue on both sides: three people were killed in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region and six were injured in Vinnytsia.
