Washington DC : SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday said that the Ukrainian military violated Starlink’s terms of service and was using it for offensive drone strikes to “kill people”.
In a post on X, Musk said that this “loophole” was closed last week. He also said Starlink was also crucial to preventing Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war.
“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it. Starshield, a different system, is controlled by the US government. What they decide to do is up to them. Ukraine’s military violated Starlink’s terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week,” he wrote on X.
Further asserting that Starlink remains critical to the defence of Ukraine, Musk said SpaceX has done more for Kyiv than any other private firm on the planet.
“Starlink remains critical to the defense of Ukraine, as it is the only system that cannot be jammed or blown up, at least for now. Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately. This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact. Starlink was also crucial to preventing Russia from overrunning Ukraine in the early days of the war, as all other means of communication were destroyed or jammed by Russia. SpaceX has done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth by far,” he added.
Musk also pressed for his anti-war views between Ukraine and Russia.
“That said, I have nothing but utter contempt for the virtue-signaling evil warmongers who push for endless slaughter and offer no realistic solution to the conflict. May you burn in hell,” he said.
Elon Musk on Friday also claimed that financial aid being sent to Ukraine to fight Russia is being laundered back to the US through “multiple laundry” channels, which is being used to fund political campaigns of some of the politicians.
Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that operational speeds for Starlink and Starshield satellite communication networks have been restored to levels seen prior to recent restrictions. Zelenskyy highlighted the critical role of the satellite service in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities along the front lines and countering aerial strikes.
In a video message posted on X, President Zelenskyy highlighted the critical role of the satellite service in supporting Ukraine’s defence capabilities along the front lines and countering aerial strikes.
“The most important thing today is that Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored to the speeds we had before all the restrictions,” President Zelenskyy stated. “The speeds are now where they need to be. The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were already sufficient to use this communication service.”
Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine’s Defence Minister delivered a report following diagnostic tests, confirming that both Starlink and Starshield are fully operational.
Expressing gratitude to international partners and US leadership, including President Donald Trump for taking the issue seriously, Zelenskyy emphasised the operational necessity of the satellite systems for frontline logistics and for defending the country against jet-powered “shahed” drones.
“This morning, Ukraine’s Defence Minister delivered a report. We ran tests: Starlink and Starshield are working. I thank all Americans and all our partners who took this seriously and truly helped us. I thank members of Congress, senators, all the media, the State Department, and the President,” Zelenskyy said. -ANI