Elon Musk on Wednesday denied Ukraine’s allegation that SpaceX had disrupted its military drone operations by restricting access to its Starlink satellite internet service without warning, saying any limits were imposed by the US government and not the company.“Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS,” Musk said.His response came after Ukrainian military officials reported disruptions to Starlink connections on military-grade terminals moving at high speeds, complicating efforts to use the satellite internet service to guide drones.“Our defence forces did not receive a warning about this limitation, and this led to the disruption of several missions,” presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov wrote on Telegram.Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Reaction Corps, deployed in the country’s south-east, said connections had been dropping for 10 to 20 seconds when drones travelled at speeds of 110 to 120 kmph.“The drones kept moving, but these interruptions made them harder to control,” the corps said in a statement to news agency Reuters.A source in Ukraine’s defence ministry said the restrictions had significantly complicated logistics and some drone operations.
The reported disruption also drew criticism from Poland, which pays for Ukraine’s Starlink subscriptions. Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski directly challenged Musk over the issue.“Hey, @elonmusk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” Sikorski asked Musk on X. “As your European customers, we are watching you.”Musk did not immediately respond, while SpaceX did not immediately reply to a request for comment outside US business hours.
Musk has previously referred to Sikorski as a “small man”.The dispute comes amid worsening relations between Kyiv and Washington after US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel last week and criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Seeking to curb fuel prices that have risen since the US launched its war against Iran, Trump has urged Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries and suggested that Zelenskyy should be replaced.The reported restrictions have added to Ukrainian concerns that Washington and its allies could scale back military support to pressure Kyiv into making concessions to Moscow. Sources have told Reuters and other news organisations that the US has threatened to cut off intelligence used to provide early warnings of Russian missile strikes unless Ukraine suspends attacks on Russian oil refineries.