Musk accuses Ukraine of using Starlink for drone strikes as Kyiv reports service restored
Elon Musk says Ukraine’s military breached Starlink’s terms. Kyiv says satellite connections have returned to speeds needed for operations after restrictions disrupted its forces.
Elon Musk accused Ukraine’s military of using Starlink for offensive drone strikes and said he had closed a loophole the previous week. The accusation followed Ukraine’s announcement on October 24 that Starlink and Starshield connections had returned to speeds needed by its forces after more than a week of restrictions. Musk’s allegation has not been independently established, and a Ukrainian presidential adviser disputed the described use.
In a post on X, Musk said Ukraine’s military had violated the terms of Starlink, which he described as a civilian commercial service, by using it for strikes ‘to kill people’. He said Starshield was a separate system controlled by the US government. Serhiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, said the country was ‘physically unable’ to use Starlink for long- and medium-range attack drone operations, The Guardian reported.
What Ukraine says changed with Starlink and Starshield
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the connections began returning to normal overnight and were fast enough for operational use by the morning of October 24. Ukraine’s defence ministry said the connection remained stable above 400km/h. Zelenskyy said the restored speeds mattered for frontline logistics and defence against jet-powered Shahed drones, according to Reuters.
During the restrictions, operations were capped at about 160km/h, Ukrainian officials said. They said the slowdown hindered efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and led to the cancellation of some Ukrainian operations. The Wall Street Journal reported that some drones lost their connections or had to fly slowly enough to become easier targets for Russian forces.
Responsibility for the speed restrictions remains disputed
Neither Musk nor the US government publicly accepted responsibility for imposing the restrictions, Reuters reported. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that President Donald Trump called Musk on Wednesday and asked him to restore Starshield service. That account does not establish who ordered the earlier slowdown.
The restoration follows earlier uncertainty over Ukraine’s access to the satellite systems. Zelenskyy had said access was still incomplete after Trump claimed service had been restored. Ukrainian officials also said they continued receiving US intelligence during the satellite connection disruption, The Guardian reported.
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Sources and context
- 'To kill people': Musk accuses Ukraine military of misusing Starlink for drone strikesThe Times of India
- Musk accuses Ukraine of Starlink violations after Kyiv says speeds back to normalReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- Ukraine’s military says Starlink satellite connection stable after recent restrictionsThe Guardian
- Ukraine’s military Starlink is working again, Kyiv saysThe Wall Street Journal, republished by Hindustan Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.