Elon Musk has acknowledged that SpaceX restricted its Starlink internet service in Ukraine, accusing the country’s military of violating its terms of service by using the network for offensive drone strikes.
The admission came after Ukrainian officials reported that connectivity problems appeared to have been resolved, with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara confirming improvements in the service.
Musk, however, denied responsibility for a simultaneous issue involving Starshield, a more secure satellite communications system operated under the control of the United States government.
The development followed comments by US President Donald Trump, who said he had told Musk to “put it back” after repeatedly denying that he had instructed the billionaire to restrict the service.
“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” Musk wrote on X on Saturday.
“Ukraine[’s] military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week,” he added.
Musk also defended SpaceX’s contribution to Ukraine’s war effort, saying the company had “done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth”.
He maintained that Starshield was a separate system controlled by the US government, adding that decisions about its use rested with Washington.
In a subsequent post, Musk said Starlink could support military infrastructure but should not be used for offensive attacks that could expose the network to retaliation.
Ukraine has yet to issue an official response to Musk’s latest comments. However, presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov described the billionaire’s post as “very strange” and argued that Ukraine could not physically use commercial Starlink for long- and medium-range drone strikes.
The country’s defence ministry had not immediately commented on the claim.
Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink has made the service an important part of its military communications infrastructure. The network uses low Earth orbit satellites launched by SpaceX to provide internet connectivity, including in remote areas where conventional communications infrastructure may be unavailable.
Ukrainian forces use Starlink to coordinate military units, while Starshield provides more secure communications capabilities for military operations. According to the report, the systems also support drone operators in identifying targets and directing interceptor drones.
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Russia is not authorised to use Starlink. The network’s restrictions have therefore become particularly significant as Ukraine conducts long-range attacks against Russian oil infrastructure.
The latest disruption emerged last week amid heightened tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities.
Ukraine has argued that the attacks target infrastructure that generates revenue for Moscow’s war effort. Trump, however, criticised the strikes, saying they had contributed to higher global oil prices.
Musk had earlier denied deliberately throttling Ukraine’s Starlink connection, despite Ukrainian claims that the disruption hampered defensive operations.
The service problems also coincided with a diplomatic dispute involving Trump and Zelensky. The Ukrainian president said Washington had threatened to withdraw intelligence-sharing support if Kyiv did not halt the strikes, a claim Trump also denied.
Zelensky had initially agreed to suspend the attacks on the condition that Russia stop targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine subsequently resumed the strikes after several instances in which Moscow allegedly disregarded the arrangement.
The report also noted that although attacks on Russian oil refineries had affected global fuel prices, increases recorded this year had primarily been driven by the war involving Iran.
With US midterm elections approaching, Trump has faced domestic pressure over rising fuel prices. His administration subsequently waived some sanctions on Russia and reached an agreement with Moscow to supply Russian diesel to the United States and the global market, a move criticised by European allies who said it could help finance Russia’s war effort.
Ukrainian officials said the Starlink connection had improved following the disruption.
Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Saturday that the military was recording a “stable connection”, allowing drones to reach speeds exceeding 400 kilometres per hour.
Kyiv had previously reported that the connection would cut out when drones exceeded 161 kilometres per hour.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Musk did not explain why SpaceX had changed the service last week, despite Ukraine’s extensive use of Starlink throughout the war.
The dispute has renewed questions about Ukraine’s dependence on a privately operated satellite network for military communications and the extent to which decisions by a commercial company can affect operations on the battlefield.
BBC News
