Elon Musk has said SpaceX restricted its Starlink internet service in Ukraine over alleged violations of its terms of service, as Ukrainian officials reported that connectivity had stabilised and military drones were once again operating at higher speeds. According to the BBC, Musk accused Ukraine of using the civilian satellite…...
Elon Musk has said SpaceX restricted its Starlink internet service in Ukraine over alleged violations of its terms of service, as Ukrainian officials reported that connectivity had stabilised and military drones were once again operating at higher speeds.
According to the BBC, Musk accused Ukraine of using the civilian satellite internet service for offensive military strikes, while denying responsibility for a simultaneous issue involving Starshield, a more secure system operated under the control of the United States government.
Ukraine has not officially commented on Musk’s latest claims. However, presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov described his post as “very strange”.
Musk had earlier denied deliberately restricting Ukraine’s connection, which Kyiv said had hampered its ability to conduct defensive operations for more than a week.
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The dispute emerged last week amid broader tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.
Musk’s latest comments and reports of improved connectivity followed remarks by US President Donald Trump, who said he had told the billionaire to “put it back”, although Trump had repeatedly denied instructing him 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 said SpaceX had “done more to defend Ukraine than any private company on Earth” and reiterated that Starshield was a separate system controlled by the US government.
“What they decide to do is up to them,” he added.
In a subsequent post, Musk wrote: “[Starlink] can be used for infrastructure that is military, but it cannot be used for unequivocally offensive strikes that make it fair game to be struck back.”
Reacting to the claims, Beskrestnov said drones operating through Starlink in Ukraine were subject to a speed restriction of 70–90km/h (43–56mph) and could not operate on Russian territory.
“Therefore, we physically cannot use commercial Starlink for deep strikes and medium-range strikes,” he wrote on Telegram.
“It is very strange that Elon Musk is not aware of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s defence ministry had not immediately commented on Musk’s latest statements.
Ukraine operates both Starlink and Starshield, depending on its communications needs. Both systems rely on networks of low Earth orbit satellites launched by SpaceX.
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Starlink enables military units to coordinate operations, particularly in remote areas of the battlefield, while Starshield supports Ukrainian drone operators with real-time target visibility and the operation of interceptor drones.
Russia is not authorised to use Starlink. Ukraine has therefore relied on the service for communications during military operations, although the network does not work when Ukrainian long-range missiles or drones travel deep into Russian territory to target oil refineries.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said earlier on Saturday that the military was recording a “stable connection”, with drones able to reach speeds exceeding 400km/h. Kyiv had previously said the connection would cut out at speeds above 161km/h.
“The speeds are now where they need to be,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Musk did not explain why SpaceX had changed its service last week, despite Ukraine’s extensive use of Starlink over several years.
The connectivity problems coincided with a diplomatic standoff between Zelensky and Trump over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
Trump said the attacks on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv considers important to cutting Moscow’s main sources of revenue for its war effort, had contributed to rising global oil prices.
However, although the attacks have affected global fuel prices, increases recorded this year have primarily been attributed to the war involving Iran.
With midterm elections approaching next month and domestic concerns growing over higher fuel prices, Trump has waived some sanctions on Russia and agreed to a deal with Moscow to supply Russian diesel to the United States and the global market. The arrangement has drawn criticism from European allies, who say it risks providing financial support for Russia’s war effort.
Zelensky initially agreed to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities on the condition that Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Kyiv resumed the strikes after several instances in which Russia allegedly disregarded the arrangement.
The Ukrainian president also said the United States had threatened to withdraw intelligence-sharing support if Ukraine did not stop the attacks. Trump denied making such a threat.
Meanwhile, fighting and aerial attacks between Russia and Ukraine continued overnight.
Ukraine’s emergency services said three people were killed and 15 others injured, including an 11-year-old girl, in attacks on the Dnipropetrovsk region in southeastern Ukraine.
Another six people were injured when a Russian drone struck an apartment block in the central city of Vinnytsia, according to the emergency services.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that its forces had struck a cargo vessel allegedly being used to supply the Ukrainian military while it was travelling towards the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk.
The ministry also said Russian forces had hit a logistics centre, a distribution centre and a logistics terminal in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Ukraine’s defence ministry, meanwhile, said it had struck a facility in the Russian city of Oryol operated by a heavy machinery manufacturer under sanctions. Russian authorities said three people were killed in the strike.